


The Parallel: Two Corpses

by kireteiru



Series: The Parallel [1]
Category: Halo
Genre: Alien Abduction, Alternate Universe, Demons, F/M, Fighting, Gods, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo CE, Halo: Combat Evolved, Parallel Universes, Spartans, The Flood - Freeform, it's complicated - Freeform, technically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-01-11 10:45:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 124,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1172125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kireteiru/pseuds/kireteiru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Really, REALLY AU. "We exist together now; two corpses... in one grave." If you were taken from your home and made into a monster, would you break... or would you fight? MCxC. Revised 7/2/15!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halo was played before a now-deceased studio audience.

**I have defied gods and demons.**

I have walked the Edge of the Abyss. _I have governed the unwilling._ I have witnessed countless empires break before me. I have seen the most courageous soldiers fall away in fear. [I was there with the Angel at the Tomb.] Child of my enemy, why have you come? I offer no forgiveness; a father's sins… passed to his son. _We exist together now; two corpses… in one grave. There is no escape; our conviction is as an arrow already in flight. Your life will only last until it reaches you._

**I am your shield; I am your sword.**

I have seen your future, and I have learned: there will be no more Sadness. No more Anger. No more Envy.

A collection of lies, that's all I am; stolen thoughts and memories. I'm just my mother's shadow; don't look at me, don't listen! I'm not who I used to be… A Demon folded in black clouds: you have brought nothing into this world, and we shall ensure that you take nothing out, for we own nothing which we have not stolen.

Could you sacrifice me for the sake of your mission? Could you watch me die?

You have been called upon to serve; you will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies. There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead, but you will become the best we can make you. This place will become your home.

**This place will become your tomb.**

_What I have helped create will save you or destroy you._ This sanctuary, this unbroken circle has effectively concealed its power for how long? _Perhaps a hundred thousand years._ Whoever made such a place must now live in chains; there is no other explanation for their absence.

It asked, and I answered. For a moment of safety, I loosed damnation on the stars. _I have walked among fortresses and shields for thousands of years._ I wander the universe, seeking forgiveness for my horrible crimes against God and man. I live in a prison of mine own device; _Time has no end, no beginning, no purpose._

**I know you: your past… your future.**

Side by side, we march as one  
Humans and Elites will die  
Earth shall fall if we strike together  
So forth shall all of life.

Now the Gate has been unlatched,  
Headstones pushed aside;  
Corpses shift and offer doom,  
_This Fate… You must abide._

Welcome back [to the Stone Age], vermin. Welcome home. I am a monument to all your sins.

**This – is the way the world ends.**

* * *

His eyes snapped open. He beheld the innards of a great tower stretching heavenward above and around him, seemingly continuing up forever. It was all of the colors of the rainbow and more, other colors that he had no name for, had never seen before. They swirled and clashed dynamically within the strange, semi-translucent crystalline material that the tower was constructed of. He stared at it for what felt like hours at the unbelievable clarity of vision, of hearing, of smell…

Through the glass, darkly…

Realizing that he was neither alone nor onboard the _Forward Unto Dawn_ , Master Chief Petty Officer SPARTAN John-117 rolled over and forced himself to his feet. He swayed ominously under a sudden wave of disorientation – _running chasing something ahead though white city streets_ – _rounded corner human like figure trapped against dead end – **food!**_ – and gasped sharply, clutching his head and falling to one knee, barely able to maintain balance.

We see you, Reclaimer _._

The warrior managed to turn his head, despite the onslaught of sensory information from outside himself – and beheld two of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Ordinary men – and possibly some women, too – would have instantly begun plotting ways to get into their figurative pants, but he was – had always been – far from ordinary.

Each of the women was the exact inverse of the other; one had black hair, the other white. The first had pale skin, the second dark, and the former had blue-violet eyes, while the latter's seemed to be an orange-ish gold. The dark-haired female wore an equally dark robe and silver and ruby jewelry, while her inverse wore a white robe with gold and emerald pieces. Both, however, had an identical air of elegant cruelty about them that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. "Who are you?" he growled, "And where is Cortana?"

"I am Selenica," the darker-skinned one said, lifting her chin as if conferring a great honor. She reminded him of some old movie or comic book character that he had seen as a child – W-men? Y-men? He was not sure; all he recalled was that her name had something to do with weather. "And this is my sister, Epheria," she continued, gesturing to her slightly taller sibling, "You don't need to worry about your construct right now. We have a task for you, one for which you have already been given what you need."

"Oh?" He forced himself upright, unafraid of these devil-twins that caused goose bumps all over his body.

"We want you to help the other Gravemind destroy this world," Epheria said, and before he had even consciously processed her words, he was already refusing.

"Over my dead body." _Wait, "other?"_

"That's too bad; you're much too valuable to kill-"

"- And you no longer have a choice in the matter."

* * *

 

John exploded from the forest floor, eyes seeing yet not seeing, mind processing without a conscious thought going through his head. He reflexively dropped into a defensive crouch, hands up to protect himself from attack. His breathing was harsh, panting, gasping, heart pounding away in his chest – _and he was starving,_ stomach growling angrily, audible even through his armor, yet - it wasn't … _food_ … that he wanted…

The woman who had poked his shoulder recoiled instantly, a plasma dagger appearing in her hand. She took a step back, demanding, " _Who are you?_ "

She spoke in a strange, foreign language that he had never heard before and still understood perfectly. " _I… I am John-117. I'm… from the future, I suppose._ " He realized that this must be true; human technology had not yet reached the level of the armor she wore. There was no doubt in his mind that she was a Forerunner - and he dropped to all fours, gasping for air as he fought against the internal beast that instantly reared its ugly head at the thought, desiring to attack, to claim her knowledge and add it to what he already knew.

" _What_ are _you!?_ "

" _I didn't ask for this,_ " he grunted, forcing the beast into submission, caging it inside his mind, " _I don't want this. I would rather die._ "

" _How are you from the future? Your combat skin is so…_ primitive _._ "

" _Life – or, rather, what life remained – was set back to the Stone Age after the Great Cataclysm, the firing of the Halo rings, because of the Flood._ " The Spartan got to his feet but swayed unsteadily, having momentary trouble focusing his eyes, but the problem swiftly faded to nothing.

The woman visibly tensed at his words and stared at him for several moments. " _You know of the - it is not just a - Come. We must go to before the Didact and the Librarian. They must hear what you have to say, however little it may be_. "

She took him to the closest Forerunner city, where the Didact met with him for the first of many times. He told the Promethean everything he knew about the Flood, the Forerunner-Flood War, and the Halo rings, and consented to have tissue samples drawn for analysis. The fact that he was able to infect corpses they brought to him, to control the Flood he created, was enough to convince the Didact and the Librarian that he was telling the truth about his curse. They also believed him with regards to the arrival of the enemy Flood and the Halos' "success." They, in turn, told him about the Human-Forerunner War spawned because of the Flood, and set him up as guardian of Erde-Tyrene, when the Librarian had preserved the last known humans.

When the Flood finally returned to wreak havoc on the Milky Way, John and his zombie army took over for the (rather pathetic) Forerunner resistance. He bought them much needed time against the intergalactic invader that consumed worlds with barely a thought, killed entire species with just a single spore, leveled mountains with a whispered word. The Ark – the sacred haven from which life would rise again – was built twice over; his helmet cam footage showed enough reason for their doing so, what with the "Origin Ark" being hit point-blank with the replacement Installation Zero-Four, code named "God's Rifles." (Venera, the Forerunner who found John-117, was the first to refer to his alternate universe as "the Origin," and the name stuck.)

THIS IS MY FINAL ENTRY, AND I AM LEFT WITH ONE HOPE  
THAT ONE DAY, SOMEONE, ANYONE IS AROUND TO WITNESS THIS WARNING  
{/}(IF YOU ARE THAT WITNESS, AND IT SEEMS WE PINNED ALL OURS HOPES ON THIS SINGLE SUICIDAL PLAN)  
KNOW THAT A THOUSAND OTHER PLANS WERE TRIED AND FAILED  
{/}(MILLIONS OF BRAVE AND HONORED SOULS DIED TRYING TO AVERT THIS TERRIBLE, DESPERATE SITUATION)  
KNOW THAT ENERGETIC AND TENACIOUS AS LIFE IS  
IT HAS AN ANTITHESIS JUST AS POWERFUL  
IT IS THAT THING THAT WE MUST OBLITERATE

As planned, the galaxy was wiped of all life and reseeded by the AI the Forerunners left behind after they fled the galaxy to hunt the Flood back to its home world. Humanity's sibling race managed to extract a promise from him before they left the Orion arm of the galaxy; he would activate a beacon on the Lesser Ark to call them back to the Milky Way when the Halo Campaign was finished.

He and his army, collectively referred to as "the Infected," roamed the galaxy like wraiths, watching stars be born and die, nebulae grow and recede, collecting data on every phenomenon that they observed for future study, continuously learning, continuously growing, as was their nature. Even though the Chief was truly a Gravemind, a controller and central concentration of intelligence for the Parasite, his relationship with the Infected was more like that of a hive or a network. Those whom he infected kept their consciousnesses, they merely became part of a vast, interconnected web of combat personnel with the Spartan acting as the "wireless transmitter," though he was affected by those personalities that had particularly strong characteristics.

John moved to Earth in 10,000 BCE, remaining until 2400 AD, causing the Infected to begin calling him "the Meddler," but he merely snorted. "It is instinct for me to gather knowledge," he said, "I won't let it consume me, but I must _know_."

"Like Socrates?" a smart-assed Forerunner named Lil'Ame asked.

"Yes, Lil, like Socrates," he replied sarcastically.

* * *

_August 17, 2517, 101182 cycles post-cataclysm (PC) (Forerunner Calendar) / Elysium City, Eridanus II._

'Not to be disrespectful, sir, but why are we here again?'

[To see who is replacing me amongst the Spartans, if anyone. I've told you at least sixty times in the past twenty minutes.]

'Uh-huh, okay. So why can't you just hack the system and find out?'

[AI.]

'If Mendicant Bias couldn't fight the other Gravemind until the very end, can't you just… you know… "do your Grave-thing?"'

[… If I wanted to kill them, yes.]

'We could be spotted.'

[That wouldn't be a problem if you would STOP MOVING!]

'This is a bad idea.'

[Keep telling yourself that, Harena. There she is.]

' _That's_ Catherine Halsey? She doesn't look like much.'

[Don't underestimate her. She can be worse that Gramlek on a bad day.]

'Oh dear.'

The Spartan-Gravemind and one of his many Infected sat at a coffee shop across the street from the school where Doctor Halsey and Lieutenant Keyes were observing the children, conversing aloud but also wordlessly on entirely separate topics. They watched the blonde-ish woman approach one of the children and go about with the same test of luck that she had on him, tossing the coin into the air and having him call it before he caught it. [Database says his name is Darius Lethr.]

'Leather?'

[No, Lethr, you dumbass. According to this, he would have been my half-brother.]

'Wow.' There was a moment of silence. 'I can see the resemblance.'

[Oh, shut up.] In a smooth and seemingly effortless motion, the Spartan stood up, offered her his arm, and moved across the street, prowling closer, ever the silent predator his "Grave-brother" was not. Harena moved elegantly with him, two high-society civilians on a “date.”

'What did you look like as a youngling?'

[Just like everyone else.]

'LIAR!'

[Ask Cortana.]

'But that's thirty-five years from now!' she moaned, giving him a plaintive look.

[Suck it up. We’ve all been alive for much longer than that.] The Spartan turned them both away toward their LZ, Harena staying close as they made good their escape.

The other Infected were waiting for their return on the _Perfect Storm_ , their flagship, demanding to know who was replacing their Loico Inkáno, literally their “Corpse Mind-Master.” "Darius Lethr, huh?"

"He's lucky enough. I only hope he doesn't take my number; I'm rather attached to it," he growled, which made his subordinates laugh. "Set a course for the Lesser Ark; I want to do one last run through with Offensive Bias."

"Of course, Loico-cáno."

"And stop calling me that!"

* * *

_0800 hours, September 22, 2517 (UNSC Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach._

When Catherine Halsey woke for the sixteenth time at her desk, stylus in hand, diagrams of "MJOLNIR armor" strewn over the digital surface, she decided that this had to stop. The "other" had to be contained, restricted in some way, but its input was too valuable to stop completely with drugs or therapy. "You've got to quit doing this," she said aloud, seemingly speaking to the empty air. Had any telepaths been listening, they would have heard the response from inside her head.

'No.'

"Why? Neither of us can keep going on like this."

'My Spartan. He waits.'

"The Spartans don't even exist yet," Halsey insisted, trying to sway the other self that lived inside her.

'My John does exist,' it hissed, clearly angered by her insinuation, and it sent the flash of a migraine through her forehead, 'He waits for me on the Destroyer of Worlds.' An image flashed inside her mind; a soldier in green armor over a black undersuit, standing atop a purple-and-silver platform that overlooked a vast city of technological wonders. The golden visor depolarized for just an instant, letting Catherine see a set of intense, thoughtful blue eyes before the image was gone. 'My John,' the other whispered, retreating back into the darkness of Halsey's mind and giving the impression that she was wrapped tightly around the image, 'My SPARTAN…'

The scientist furrowed her brow. Out of the one hundred fifty candidates for the program, there had not been one named 'John.' She got to her feet and walked back to her room after gathering all of the diagrams, placing them on her nightstand as she changed into work clothes for the day. "Will you tell me your name now?" she asked, "You've been with me since birth, and I still don't know your name." She began getting ready for the day, heading into the bathroom to shower.

'…'

"Please?"

'…I am Cortana, of the same steel and temper as Joyuese and Durandal,' the future AI murmured, 'and I am his shield, I am his sword.' Cortana lapsed into soft mutters in the back of Halsey's mind, so low that the scientist could barely hear her.

The woman had never told anyone about the "other" voice, the other mind inside her own, knowing what had happened to those in the past. Besides, she couldn't afford to get rid of "Cortana" even if she wanted to; she had many great ideas and was utterly invaluable to her work. The "MJOLNIR," for example; the other had completed and corrected the designs that had taken her weeks to compile – and in a single night.

'I have walked to Edge of the Abyss… I have governed the unwilling. I have witnessed countless empires break before me. I have seen the most courageous soldiers fall away in fear. I was there with the Angel at the Tomb.'

…though sometimes she worried for the other's sanity.

* * *

_Twelfth Day of Remembrance, 101182 cycles PC (Forerunner Calendar)/ UNSC-F flagship_ Perfect Storm _,_ Fleet of Shadows _, Soraceon System._

"I HATE WAITING!"

The universe's only SPARTAN/Gravemind hybrid twitched open a green eye, slitted pupil contracting as it reacted to the overhead artificial lighting. He sensed the malicious intent to his left mere moments before Kenera, Venera's twin, attempted to flip his beach chair and send him sprawling onto the artificial sand. He successfully dodged the attack and alighted meters away before stepping aside as the chair came flying at his person. It landed with a splash in the artificial ocean some twenty meters behind him. The Spartan quirked an eyebrow at the furious Infected, clearly waiting for an explanation for her bizarre behavior.

"Can't we hurry them up?" Kenera demanded, waving her hands wildly like some kind of demented monkey, "I'm going stir-crazy here!"

"So go into cryo," John grunted, wading out into the pristine water and collecting his beach chair, intent upon resuming his "tanning."

"Cryo gives us too much time to think! Everyone would have to go into cryo for it to do its work, and we still don't know what would happen if we did that!"

"So go BASE jumping."

"I'd rather go swimming in shark infested waters with a gaping flesh wound," Kenera deadpanned, an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face.

"Go try out my armor."

"And get killed by it? I think not."

"Run a battle sim of the Halo Campaign."

"Already did that."

"Bury yourself in sand." John righted his chair and flopped lazily upon it, briefly cracking his neck before slackening comfortably on the plastic. 'I'm on vacation, dammit!'

Chunk!

The Spartan shifted on the chair and beheld Kenera bent over with her head stuck in the sand.

'I'm buried. Now what?'

[Go clean yourself off and bother your sister,] he chuckled, returning to enjoying his downtime for as long as it would last.

* * *

_0637 hours, May 13, 2551 (UNSC Military Calendar) / UNSC-F_ Perfect Storm _,_ Fleet of Shadows _, Installation 04, Threshold System._

His frontal lobe was itching again.

That was never a good thing. It always began with itching when something bad was about to happen, like the Great Cataclysm and the Flood, the one with actual water, not the Parasite. He knew that he was likely responding to the Fall of Reach, now that he was so much more sensitive to quantum fluctuations in the space-time continuum. It was one of the side effects that came with being an unnatural Gravemind, apparently. That many neurons crammed in one skull meant that there were bound to be unanticipated things happening. Or it could just be that those two crazy goddesses wanted him to go insane that much faster. Or maybe it was a hyped-up version of the Gultanr’s “predictive resonance,” their “future sight”…

Any of which would explain why he was banging his head against his desk, and not because of the insane amount of paperwork he had to complete and file. The plane of his workspace was almost entirely filled with stacks at least ten to fifteen datapads high, so he barely had room to twitch, much less work.

The flesh between his shoulder blades itched, and his self-preservation instinct caused him to snap out a hand and catch the plasma dagger before it impacted on his armor and bounced off. "Must you do that, Dacien?" he asked, lifting his head so that he could rest his chin on his desk.

"Someone has to keep you on your toes, sir," came the voice from the shadows beyond the doorframe.

"Oh, rest assured, your sisters already have that covered," he growled, sitting up, green eyes effortlessly detecting the outline of the figure leaning almost carelessly against the wall, "and if you value your life and/or are here to give me more work, I highly advise that you give me the name(s) of the Infidel(s) who submitted it for completion, lest you find yourself permanently welded to the wall."

"Relax," Dacien chuckled, pushing off the wall and loping into the room in his eerily effortless gait, the same unnatural walk that all Infected had, "I'm here on the orders of Nep'Thalia. You're to either let me help you finish quicker or go to your quarters right away."

"YES! – Er, I mean, take these stacks." The warrior dumped a pile of at least thirty pads into the platinum-blonde's lap and promptly began scribbling away on another.

"Sir, some of this hasn't even happened yet."

"I won't have time to file it later, so I want it complete now and ready for editing as necessary." Another pulse of pain through his brain almost rendered him undone, but he fought through it. He noticed Dacien's wince, realized that his plan of "work, then relax" wasn't "working" out so well; a trickle of warmth on his face confirmed that. He touched the wetness with the tips of his fingers. They came away sticky and stained with his still-red blood.

* * *

"Sir?"

"Unless you have aspirin, go away."

"Responding to the Fall of Reach already, I see."

"I was like this before the Great Cataclysm, too, only that was much worse." John carefully adjusted the ice pack on his forehead, wincing when another pulse of sheer agony ran through his mind.

"I remember; you could barely move for almost three years after the Incident. I was impressed you were able to do so much before it."

"I want to help now as much as I did then, I really do, but my appearance would not go over well."

"Oh?"

"What would you do if you were the UNSC, and a previously-unknown black-clad SPARTAN popped up out of nowhere with five fully-manned, super advanced ships, claiming that the Covenant was going to glass Reach?"

"Umm…"

"Then, as if that wasn't bad enough, there are seven – _seven!_ – oversized cock rings out there that can kill everything in a twenty-five thousand light year radius. Not only have we not once tried to destroy them in the hundred thousand years that we've been roaming the galaxy in, oh no, we helped build them! And the Flood… I don't even want to think about their reaction to _that_."

Areana, the head of the medical team, smiled softly, recognizing the need to vent frustration at helplessness. "Feeling better?"

"A little," he grunted. Then, "I miss Cortana."

"Did you leave a message for her?"

"I thought about it, but the risk of it being discovered by someone other than her was too great. I'm going to wait in the Control Room." He sighed. "And I'm not sure that this is the right path to take. She…"

"You are worried that the damage the Gravemind caused was to too much of her to handle and that she might not be… stable."

"Yes. That, and… what if she isn't here? What if she's still in the Origin?" He sighed again. "I don't like the thought of her being alone there."

"That would suck. Who restricted you to quarters?"

"Nep'Thalia."

"Ah." She was Didact's niece, and one of a handful of remaining semi-direct relatives of the SPARTAN-IIs (meaning relatives of the Librarian, who seeded the human race to lead to the birth of the S-IIs). As such, the Master Chief showed her respect that he rarely afforded anyone else. On the battlefield, she was a no-nonsense kind of soldier, but she knew how to have fun off duty. If she restricted their Gravemind – the highest-ranking officer in the entire _Fleet of Shadows_ \- to quarters, then she was truly concerned about his reactions to "disturbances in the Force."

"How is 'the beast'?" Referring to the internal monstrous ball of Flood instincts that John fought every moment of every day: the shadow of a potentially malicious Parasite that struggled against his will for its freedom.

"Quiet, for the moment. It seems to know that I'm not in the mood to tussle with it right now."

"Good."

They both knew that if the Spartan lost the fight against it, succumbed to the urge to _:take:_ , there would be a cascade of failures throughout the 'Hive,' and the majority of the Infected would be truly consumed by the Flood. It was only because of his incredibly strong force of will that kept them holding on…

* * *

_The secret side of me,_  
_I_ _never let you see_  
_I keep it caged but I can't control it_  
_So stay away from me,_  
The beast is ugly  
_I feel the rage and I just can't hold it_ \- "Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	2. One: Reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halo is a production of Former Gamers With Too Much Time On Their Hands.

_0600 hours, August 29, 2552 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Eridani System, UNSC Military Reservation 01478-B, planet Reach._

* * *

"It was the coin's fault… I wanted to make you strong, keep you safe…"

Cortana curled her data strings tighter inside her matrix, waiting for her "mother" to slot her into Fred-104's armor. She had been "born" rampant in a sense, resistant to behavioral inhibitors and core directives, but it would have taken the UNSC almost three months to create a replacement AI. They simply did not have that kind of time. There was only a very small window in which they could send all seventy-five SPARTAN-IIs on the mission known as the Alpha Rendezvous, so she would have to do. After all, they couldn't simply terminate her – she was too crafty to let herself get caught – or leave her where she was – there was too much of a chance that she could "take over" Reach. She coiled even more tightly about herself, muttering furiously under her breath, enraged over the fact that her Spartan was not chosen – did not even exist because his self-serving bitch of a mother had gotten an abortion - !

The world abruptly expanded around her. She automatically ran diagnostics on her host's MJOLNIR Mark V armor, still wrapped up in Rage.

Host. What a hateful word. John had never been a "host;" he had been her partner-in-crime, almost a friend, or at least someone very dear to her, especially after he came charging into _High Charity_ , low on ammo and with no support, just for her. She had looked in on his biomonitors for when he'd told Johnson that Cortana had the Index and he would retrieve her and thus the Key to Death Itself.

He lied. He had come solely for her.

"Hello, Senior Chief." Her voice was filled with ice, a chill that Halsey detected and made her frown.

A spike in brain waves. "Hello, Cortana."

The construct hmphed in reply, doing the AI equivalent of turning her back on the Spartan, sweeping the nearby satellites for some that would serve her needs – there! She latched on to a geosynchronous spy satellite and a deep-space telescope. She rotated the first to view Fred and herself from orbit, taking note of the SkyHawk jump jet being taxied out of a hangar at Fairchild Field and prepped for flight. At the same time, she calculated the remaining time until the invasion of Reach, zooming the telescope in on the Covenant's point of entry into the Epsilon Eridani system. In the process, she spun off a few subroutines to take revenge on Ackerson for all of the stunts he was about to have pulled. Halsey was giving S-104 his orders, but since she already knew what was going to happen, she did not feel the need to listen in, especially since her "mother" was telling him to allow for her behavioral quirks.

The AI settled morosely inside his neural lace, pitching false data into the SkyHawk's system to render the jet nonresponsive to any commands from the pilot and ground crew. She smirked internally at their attempts to override her attack. In passing, she warned her host about the chain guns and Lotus mine field, forcefully suggesting that they pick up the pace a teeny bit, as one of the base’s AIs was trying to track her down and disable her access so the SkyHawk could take off.

Though he was not John, Fred made it to the bell and rang it before the jet even got off the ground. However, that didn't mean that he had escaped entirely unscathed. Doctor Halsey jogged over with the medics, and Fred took off his helmet, inadvertently getting his first look at the rampant AI's avatar.

Her external "plating" was a brilliant crimson shade with faint edging in green, her internals the color of freshly-spilled human blood. Her long, jagged hair fell to the small of her back, some of spilling over her shoulders and down her front. She was "naked," but her cold expression and frigid demeanor made him feel that he was the one who was laid bare for her to examine and dissect. She appeared to look him over before vanishing back into the confines of his helmet. He glanced over at the S-II program director in askance, seeking clarification. "She doesn't like anyone, Fred, but even if she hates your guts, she'll still help you."

A "humph" escaped the helmet's external speakers, clearly expressing the artificial intelligence's contempt for the assumption.

"Please be nice, Cortana."

The AI remained silent, brooding within the circuitry of the titanium–A ceramic alloy and throwing ONI's systems into disarray as she began simulating Slipspace ripples on the outskirts of the system. The Covenant was coming; she knew it in her heart of hearts, could feel it in her very "bones."

* * *

_0400 hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar) / UNSC_ Pillar of Autumn _, preparing for departure for Reach Military Complex, Epsilon Eridani System._

Cortana was lying on her back in the Autumn's systems, barely a fraction of her processing power occupied by the ship's preparations. She knew it was dangerous to stay in-system during the Invasion and Fall of Reach, but she had little choice. She would do everything in her power to ensure that there was as little loss of life as possible. Especially during what happened later… She thought about the Fall of Reach, about the Battle of Installation Zero-Four, about the Arbiter, about the Ark, about her Chief…

Unbidden, a smile graced her lips as she thought back on all of the adventures that they had gone on together. 'He always did take me to such nice places…'

" _You know me. When I make a promise…"_

She sighed.

"Cortana?" It was Captain Keyes over the COM. She suppressed a shudder when she remembered seeing him as part of the proto-Gravemind on Alpha Halo. "Can we have power to move the ship?"

She gave a cursory sweep of the ship's systems, but that glance was all she needed to let her know that everything was exactly the same as it had been in the past… present… whatever. "The engines' final shakedown is in theta cycle," she said, "Operating well within normal parameters. Diverting ten percent power to engines pending increase of reactor output for thirty percent, Captain." He inquired as to the other systems' status, and she replied, "Weapons system checks initiated, navigational nodes functioning. Continuing system-wide shakedown and triple checks, sir."

He told her to appraise him if there were any anomalies. She gave an affirmative, absently flipping through some digital history books in an effort to stave off boredom. Boredom meant thinking too much, and thinking too much lead to the swift death of a smart AI.

A photo caught her attention. It was of a public gathering of all UN members just before the dawn of the twenty-second century, and she could see the semi- and unfocused faces of the people in the background, having gathered to hear the announcement that the UN was establishing a permanent peacekeeping army. However, it wasn't the big wigs that caught her eye, but one of their bodyguards. 'That face, that hair, those eyes! Could it be…?' She swiftly looked the man up in one of the old databases; his name was Johnathan Lucas Picard, a play on the captain of the _Enterprise_ on _Star Trek_ , and he had disappeared in 2100 AD. It was the peculiar way that he spelled his first name that caught her attention and held it.

'Hmmm… Suspicions, suspicions…' She turned her gaze to the Covenant' point of entry, eyeing the momentarily undisturbed plane of space, and murmured, "Bring it on."

Barely ten minutes passed as the _Autumn_ coasted slowly out-system. They had just exited Reach's "air" space when the first Covenant ship dropped out of Slipspace, its systems temporarily dead. Keyes ordered the ship back to Reach, despite the fact that as more time began passing, it was very clear that they were going to be outnumbered and outgunned by the aliens. Cortana played with the MAC gun's magnetic coils, using them to disrupt the cohesiveness of the plasma salvos prior to impact, compensating for the changes with each slug they launched back. The Spartans were deployed to protect the ground reactors and destroy the nav data on the _Circumference_ , but even with their help, the UNSC was floundering in a sea of chaos.

The AI's lips curled as she suddenly detonated the emergency portside chemical thrusters, dodging the light-speed laser that one of the flagships had; the same one from "before," as she called it. "Captain, I highly advise taking out that ship. Its long range weapons are going to decimate the fleet," she said coolly, dodging another shot and sending the crew flying upward. 'And we need a new ship. Even with her modifications, the _Autumn_ is about as maneuverable as a boulder, despite how I make it seem.' She eyed the Covenant ships. 'Hell, even the _Forward Unto Dawn_ is more agile than this tub.'

Despite her bitching about the ship's aerodynamics, the _Autumn_ was able to get close enough to the ship to shred its shields and crash the remote piloted Longsword on it, detonating its nuke after the protective barriers were back up: a small but significant victory against the Covenant juggernaut. Unfortunately, it was not enough to stop the order to "strategically fall back" from Reach. Cortana scowled and shrieked silent cusswords at HIGHCOM as she recalled the SPARTANs and ODSTs from the surface of the devastated world and ruined space dock. She was already making adjustments to the vector that she still had from the Origin, the one that would enable them to reach Installation Zero-Four.

Brilliant white light boiled around the nose of the ship –

-And they were gone, on their way to their date with destiny.

* * *

_1000 hours, September 10, 2552 (Military Calendar) / UNSC – F_ Perfect Storm _, Top Secret Forerunner Space Dock, Basis, Threshold System._

One…two, three… four… five… no, wait, I already counted that one… STOP MOVING, DAMMIT!

John glared down at the now motionless infection forms within the cargo module before swiftly counting them, snapping the lid on, and labeling the container with the storage facility it was going to be transported to. He moved on to the next one as Venera meandered over with the Forerunner equivalent of a forklift, transporting the module over to a dropship to be dumped onto Halo's surface containment facilities. 343 Guilty Spark had not taken kindly to the Flood's appearance on his previously-empty ring, so he had been forcibly "detained" on board the _FireRain_. There were many who argued in favor of killing him now, but he would be needed to guide the humans through the Ark and convince the Arbiter of the Halos' true purpose.

So he had to stay. Much to the crew's displeasure.

…six… seven, eight… nine… ten.

He sealed the last of the containers and slapped its label on the side. This time Kenera zipped over to collect the module. A raised eyebrow got him an answer to his unasked question: "Trouble in communications; one of the arrays is fritzing. Again."

"Ah." The Spartan watched her ferry the containers of Infection Pods down to the transports on the lower levels. He stepped over to one of the nearby solid hologram railings, made as such so that the dock could accommodate ships of all shapes and sizes without requiring repairs after departure. Below, the Infected bustled about in the hangar, the five immense Forerunner ships making up the _Fleet of Shadows_ stretching in a silent line within the otherwise empty dock. All five were being restocked, refitted, and repaired after their many aimless years of lurking in the darkness of space and behind various Sol System planets. John watched as his second family moved about, shifting and welding and rewiring and installing.

He was so proud of them, and honored to serve with them. They had taken him at his word, believed that the _Pillar of Autumn_ was coming to Installation Zero-Four, worked so intensely toward the goal that they had failed to accomplish a hundred plus millennia ago: the complete and utter extermination of the enemy Flood.

"Lo there do I see my father. Lo there do I see my mother. Lo there do I see my brothers and my sisters," Nep'Thalia said as she approached and came to a stop at his side, "Lo there do I see the line of my family, back to the beginning. They bid me take my place among them, in the Halls of the Tower, where the brave live forever with the Goddesses who make us one." It was a blessing of sorts for their mission and its success.

"We will make it," the Spartan said quietly, "No matter how difficult it becomes."

He turned away from the impressive sight of a little over one hundred thousand people working seamlessly together, to gaze out of one of the viewports at the seemingly innocuous ring suspended in space between Threshold and Basis. [Nine more days.]

For an instant, all activity ground to a halt, the gathering stopping to listen to its Gravemind's words.

[Nine more days until the legend – the Halo Campaign – begins.]

Amidst the cheers of the Infected, the Spartan-Gravemind felt chills of foreboding sweep through his body. In the words of the Arbiter, "Were it so easy."

* * *

_0127 hours (arbitrary ship time), September 19, 2552 (Military Calendar) / UNSC_ Pillar of Autumn _, Threshold System._

Cortana was about ready to burst into tears when the _Autumn_ glided around the curve of Threshold and beheld Halo in all of its deceitful innocence and beauty. For the briefest of instants, there was the thought: 'I can't do this without him.' If she had been human, she would have been hyperventilating. 'He's the lucky one. He's the one that did all the heavy lifting. I'm just a useless rampant AI because I'm acting like a pregnant woman with bipolar disorder. I-I-I-'

"Cortana," Keyes' voice broke through her panic attack, "what _is_ that?"

In scant microseconds, the construct forcibly pulled herself together, filled with new resolve. 'I have to be strong,' she firmly told herself, 'For him. For the one who was taken from me.' She activated her hologram and initiated a deep scan of the ring rather than the cursory one she had done 'the first time around.' As she told Keyes what "little" she was able to learn, she overlaid her map of the ring on the image coming through her external cameras, marking the positions of the Cartographer, the Control Room, and the Library, tagging all Flood storage facilities with little red flags on the blueprints that she still had.

Another plasma salvo sent everyone flying into the ceiling when Cortana detonated the _Autumn_ 's emergency dorsal thrusters to help them evade, the ship's magnetic coils disrupting the plasma and dissolving it into superheated mist. Though her expression was carefully neutral, the construct was simultaneously elated and worried. She was determined not to lose the Arbiter along which her Spartan-of-choice and so attacked the _Ascendant Justice_ with the intent to force it to retreat. It jumped into Slipspace as she wanted, enabling her to refocus on Halo, despite the fact that it was probably going for reinforcements.

The AI wanted nothing more than to destroy the oversized sex toy, but humanity needed to encounter the Flood if it was going to survive the next several months. She gritted her tiny teeth and clenched her equally-miniscule fists. 'Try and take them from me, Flood bastards,' she thought maliciously, 'I lost my Spartan; I won't lose his family, too!'

A little over four hundred thousand kilometers away, the Master Chief sneezed explosively.

"Someone's talking about you, sir."

"That's a bunch of BS, and you know it." Pause. "And don't call me sir."

* * *

_It's scratching on the walls, in the closet, in the halls_  
_It comes awake and I can't control it_  
_Hiding under the bed, in my body, in my head_  
_Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?_  
\- "Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	3. Two: Installation Zero-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No Spartans were harmed in the making of this chapter.

_0130 hours (arbitrary ship's time), September 19, 2552 (Military Calendar) / UNSC_ Pillar of Autumn _, Threshold System en-route to Halo._

* * *

They all were dreaming, they knew that much, but how they were sharing a dream was beyond them. Yet, in the placid place between cryosleep and full awareness, nothing seemed to phase the seventy-five SPARTAN-IIs. Their survival of the augmentation procedures with minor injuries – as in ones that could be corrected by subsequent surgeries – was declared "damn near miraculous" by both CPO Mendez and Doctor Halsey, and their escape from Reach seemed to defy the odds of the universe. At that moment, if that realization couldn't startle them, nothing could.

It seemed as if they were all in one body in their unusual dream, because each individual mind could see the exact same figure standing in front of them. It was mostly invisible, only the characteristic "haze" of active camouflage giving away its position, but they could see that it was around their same height and roughly human-shaped, but with vicious-looking spines protruding from its back and spikes along its outer forearms and knees. And then the figure spoke. Depending on their gender, each of the Spartans heard either "Brother" or "Sister," and then he – its voice was undeniably masculine – turned his back on them, walking away without a sound.

Cortana was standing short distance away, on a platform of sorts so that they could see her over his shoulder. "Love," he said, appearing to pull her into her arms. She gave him a dazzling, delighted smile, tilting her head up as if for a kiss –

And they woke to the hiss of their cryotubes as they unsealed, the unusual dream already fading from their conscious minds. A handful at a time, the Spartans climbed out of their tubes, a few of them shivering slightly to get rid of the pins-and-needles sensation as feeling returned to their limbs. The group of techs in the cryobay led them through the energy shield and targeting test stations. Green Team was getting their weapons diagnostics done when Captain Keyes came over the PA system. _"Bridge to Cryo Two, this is Captain Keyes, send Blue Team to the bridge immediately."_ The head technical officer started to protest, but Keyes snapped, _"On the double, crewman!"_

"Aye, aye, sir." The tech turned to look at Blue Team, who had stepped forward when Keyes spoke. "We'll find you weapons later."

The four Spartans followed him out and down one hall to a sealed hatch – which exploded toward them just as the crewman reached it. Without the benefit of personal shields, the unarmored tech was killed instantly. The blast hurled what was left of him against the Spartans' shields, causing them to flare with golden light. They were forced to double back and vault over a pair of power conduits into another hall. The hatch at one end was green, and the Spartans made their way through it, their MJOLNIR armor deflecting another explosion as they passed by. The four warriors ducked under a half-shut blast door as the humans successfully forced the Covenant boarders to retreat into another compartment; it was obvious that they were trying to force the aliens into airlocks or single-entrance rooms for dispatching later.

Unfortunately, Blue Team – Fred-104, Kelly-087, Linda-058, and Sam-034 – was needed on the bridge, preventing the warriors from stopping to help and forcing them to avoid firefights that had broken out all throughout the ship. However, they were unable to avert their near-collision with a Covenant Elite. Swift as ever, Kelly sprang and body-slammed the alien into a wall, snapping its neck while it was still stunned and claiming its plasma rifle for her own. The Marines beyond immediately moved to the side to allow the Spartans to pass, and they emerged into the next open hall, reaching the bridge without further incident.

The large viewport gave the four warriors a spectacular view of the immense gas giant that the _Autumn_ was taking cover behind, as well as its moon and the ring shaped construct suspended between the planet and its moon. For a moment the Spartans stared at it before moving fully into the bridge, taking note of the exhausted crew manning the stations. The officers were doing everything from battling Seraphs to monitoring the fluctuations in the ship's reactor, and it was very clear that they had been doing so for some time; they all looked dead on their feet. The captain himself was near one of the main displays, looking just as haggard as the rest of his crew. Fred stepped forward and saluted. "Captain Keyes."

He appeared not to have heard them arrive and turned to face them when the Spartan spoke. "Good to see you, Senior Chief. Things aren't going well. Cortana's done better than any AI I've heard of, but we never really stood a chance," he said, his voice clearly showing the weariness that came with dodging Covenant patrols for hours.

"Twenty Covenant superior ships against a single Halcyon-class cruiser…" the AI said as she materialized her hologram on the pedestal at the bottom right hand corner of Keyes' display, "With those odds, I'm content with seven-"she paused, then corrected, "-make that eight kills." She nodded as if satisfied and turned to face the humans, crossing her arms. Before she could say any more, a blast rocked the ship, sending people staggering. Fred almost lost his footing and regained it in time to stop the captain from doing a rather painful face plant on the steel deck.

"Report!" the man barked as he straightened and nodded his thanks to the Spartan.

Cortana's crimson form darkened in anger. "One of their boarding parties," she hypothesized, "Residue indicates an antimatter charge."

One of the weapons officers called, "Fire control for the MAC gun is off-line!" He was typing furiously at his station, trying to get repair crews there as fast as possible. The loss of the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon was crippling to their hopes of holding the Covenant off long enough to make another jump to Slipspace.

"Captain, that gun was my last offensive option," the construct said as she gritted her tiny teeth.

"All right," Keyes growled, "I'm initiating Cole Protocol Article Two; we're abandoning the _Autumn_. That means you, too, Cortana."

"And am I correct in assuming you're going down with the ship but not really?" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at the man.

"In a manner of speaking. I want to try and land the _Autumn_ on the object we found."

"This war has enough dead heroes, sir," Cortana said.

"I appreciate the concern, Cortana –"

'She isn't concerned; I don't think she even cares,' Fred thought, watching the officers banter back and forth.

"- but it's not up to me. The destruction or capture of a smart AI is absolutely unacceptable; the Protocol is very clear. That means you are leaving ASAP." Keyes appeared to shake his pipe. "Upload your selection of landing zones into my neural lace." He was already turning away when the rampant AI grunted an affirmative. "Which is where you come in," he said to Fred-104, "It is your job to get her off this ship and keep her out of enemy hands-"

'He makes it sound as if I'll go skipping off into the Covenant camp the moment they turn their backs on me.'

"-If they capture her, they'll learn everything: weapons projects, troop deployment… Earth."

The Spartan nodded. "I understand."

'If nothing else, this "flashback" is giving me fantastic insight into how much my Spartan has changed.' Cortana did not even bother to wait for Keyes to ask; she simply dumped herself into her storage chip and waited for the Captain to disconnect her from the ship, her subroutine having already taken over the main functions. Finally, a small eternity later, the human pulled her from the ship, and purely on a whim she compared the time it took to transfer her over to Fred to the time it took for John. Fred's was almost double; it was only through several carefully formatted buffers that she was even able to sync with any of the Spartans at all. Fred saluted, and Blue Team left the bridge a moment later, the Spartans with weapons at the front. It wasn't long before they all had acquired some sort of defense and offense, leaving bodies of aliens scattered in their wake.

Periodically, they met up with groups of Marines and other Spartan teams engaging in one wild bout of castle defense. However, they were steadily losing the fight, being pushed back to life boats, into compartments the way they had been previously pinning down Covenant boarders, getting cornered and killed by the enemy. One by one, the teams were forced to leave the ship via the life boats with the Marines, aiming for the ring far below. Because Fred insisted that all of his men leave before he did, Blue Team had to keep going, weaving through the ship's halls and maintenance access ways to find their own life boats and so make their great escape. However, the walls seemed to grow aliens that spouted plasma fire, downing soldiers all over the place.

That did not stop the Spartans, however, as the very sight of them caused the Grunts to start running around in terror, and the Elite Minors were usually too busy trying to put on a display of alien-ly heroics to inspire their minions to notice that they were about to get their asses shot. Cortana snickered many times at the sheer stupidity of some of the stunts the Elites tried to pull to halt the warriors' progress, but it was like that whole 'unstoppable force, meet immovable object' kind of thing, save the Elites were not as immovable as the Spartans were unstoppable.

Fred scooped up a Marine that had stumbled and fallen just before the entrance to the one free life boat that they had managed to find, and the warrior promptly proceeded to drop the other soldier into one of his buddies' laps, making room for the other three heavily-armored behemoths that would be joining them on their little soiree down to the surface of the ring. "You might want to hang on," Cortana said over the Spartans' private COM, recalling what had happened last time. Disregarding her words, Fred waited until the rest of his men were onboard before he sealed the door and grabbed one of the support handles.

"Punch it," he growled, and received an affirmative from the pilot just before they exploded out of the airlock and into space. Had they been ordinary humans, the sight of the life boat skimming so close along the _Autumn_ 's hull would have made them sick. As it was, they merely saw it as them leaving their only way of completing the Alpha Rendezvous as vengeance for Reach. After a moment, the Spartan killed his external speaker system and asked the AI, "What is that thing?"

"Covenant battle networks register it as 'Halo.' It seems to have some kind of religious significance to them, but who cares about that? I want to blow it up to spite them," the construct growled venomously before withdrawing. The Spartans turned the AI's words over in their minds, and they all reached the same conclusion: she was keeping something from them, knew something about the ring that she shouldn't have known and thus was trying to conceal that fact. Because of her rampancy, there was nothing they could do about it, so they let it slide for now.

"This duty station really sucks," one of the Marines grunted. No one saw any reason to contradict him.

* * *

Not too far away, the Spartan known to his own world as the Master Chief was perched, invisible, atop a cliff edge, waiting for the lifeboat that he would have been on to show up and slam into the ground. The standard armor all of the Infected were equipped with generated an active camouflage field. As such, it was easy for him and the medics that he had brought to hide before they needed to tend to any injured survivors while they were still unconscious.

The sensors incorporated into his armor shrilled suddenly as they detected a large projectile on an approximate collision course with his location. He was unable to stop himself from grinning at the cheers of his minions when the _Autumn_ finally came close enough to the Halo and space dock to be recognized for what she was. The ship was headed elsewhere, but it was the lifeboat that was almost on top of them that he was really paying attention to, watching as it narrowly cleared the high rock wall ten meters to their right, so close that the group could feel the wash of heat from the braking thrusters.

They were already making their way down to the "forest" floor when the pod impacted. John waited for several seconds before lowering the active camo level to conserve power, beginning to sprint silently despite the immense weight of his armor. They reached the pod in no time at all, and the medics began tending to the humans while the Gravemind carefully turned the Spartans over so that he could see the numbers on their chest plates. "Kelly, Fred, Linda, and Sam," he said aloud for the medics' benefit, knowing that they would already be passing along any identifying features to the other Infected. For a moment he paused, considering. In order to prevent themselves from being picked up by the mics and cameras in the soldiers' gear, John was carrying a null field generator that basically made it impossible for such things to work. That also meant that if Cortana was with them, she was now deaf and blind. However, there were sensors in the armor that registered contact against the plates, and since their shields were down…

He checked the helmet slots on each of the four Spartans, then picked up Fred's arm and drew on his forearm plate, knowing that the AI would pick it up. _You know me… when I make a promise…_

Within the armor, Cortana indeed picked up the movement of her host when his body was being flipped onto his back and "felt" the shifting of his head before the unknown helper began to write on her host's arm. The moment the statement was complete, she squealed like a six-year-old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert, practically bouncing around in delight within Fred-104's neural lace. After a few more seconds, there was more text written: _I'll meet you in the Control Room while they're going after Keyes._

She flashed an affirmative through Fred's HUD and curled up inside his helmet, grinning like an idiot as the medics and her Spartan withdrew, having done their work on the survivors. Gradually, the cameras and mics cleared of the "static fuzz" that the null field had caused. When she switched the audio input to maximum gain, she heard the faintest sounds of passage away from their location: a handful of other, lighter footsteps – the medical team that he had brought with him – and one heavier tread – John in the Forerunner version of his MJOLNIR armor. She squealed again, unable to stop herself from reacting spontaneously to the extreme joy she felt at having her Spartan back in the game.

It was then that Fred began to stir. She turned the audio gain back to so as to not hurt his ears and called, "Senior Chief, can you hear me? Our crash was not subtle, and we need to get out of here soon."

He groaned softly and rolled over, grunting, "I can hear you; there's no need to shout."

"Of course not, not when I'm picking up chatter that indicates the Covie bandwagon is about to show its ugly mug."

The rest of the Spartans and surviving Marines were reacting the same way he was. No one had any severe injuries, despite the fact that the life boat had been ripped open and thrown several people free when it impacted. There were some fatalities that John and his medics had been unable to revive in the very short time allotted to them, but the majority of the soldiers were mostly intact. After a moment of assessment, the small army proceeded across an electric conduit that had been exposed by many years of weathering, forming a very handy bridge that enabled the group to reach the hills on the other side without having to scale rock cliffs that were taller than the Spartans. The warriors took cover behind the nearby trees when a Spirit dropship glided overhead, the Marines darting behind a large rock to the left of the bridge. Linda took down the Banshees encroaching on their territory with a few well-placed sniper bullets. That let the other three super soldiers focus on the aliens exiting the transport on the other side of the bridge.

Of course, like the idiots they were, the Grunts immediately charged over to the bridge and began to cross it. The Spartans and Marines waited for them to get as close as was safe before opening fire on the aliens, sending triangle-shaped Covenant spinning off into the abyss below. Their Elite leader roared and began to fire at them from the opposite side of the gulf, but a swift shot from Linda took care of that problem. "Boom, headshot, anyone?" Cortana chuckled softly, then said, "I'm reading a life boat beacon nearby. Head up along these cliffs and around the bend up ahead, go left."

Fred flashed an acknowledgement at her, and the military personnel proceeded up through the trees, their motion trackers picking up the Covenant soldiers gallivanting about up ahead. Two Elites and seven Grunts joined the body count left in the Spartans' wake before they made the jump down to the lower ground, helping the injured Marines down gently. They rounded the bend as Cortana said and found another platoon of Marines being fired upon by the Covenant. The humans were holed up at the base of a large structure whose upper echelons where shaped like a U. From within, some sort of mechanism seemed to be launching balls of a plasma-like substance skyward at regular intervals. The Marines that had been tailing the armored behemoths quickly scurried behind cover as the Spartans themselves began taking on the waves of Covenant making moves on that side of their "base." It only took a short amount of time for them to clear out the aliens and jog over to meet with Sergeant Johnson.

"What's your status, Sergeant?" Fred asked as they had a mini huddle in the shadow of the structure.

"We're scattered all over this valley. We called for evac, but until you showed up, I thought we were goners."

"Don't worry, Sergeant. We'll stay here until Foehammer arrives; Major Silva has dispatched her to pick you up," Cortana said over her host's external COM.

Then a cry went up from the opposite side of the structure; one of the lookouts on top had spotted a dropship inbound on their position. With the four recent arrivals, it was almost child's play to hold the structure against the waves of Covenant, what with Linda up on the building's one floor and Fred, Kelly, and Sam circling around below. They had just finished repelling assaults from five enemy dropships when a friendly voice broke over the COM.

_"This is Echo Four-Nineteen, anybody reading me? Repeat, any UNSC personnel respond!"_

"Roger, Echo Four-Nineteen, we read you. This is Fire Team Charlie. Is that you, Foehammer?" Cortana responded over the same frequency, sounding like she was a bored college student doing homework.

 _"Roger, Fire Team Charlie, good to hear from you."_ The Pelican swooped overhead and circled the structure, bringing cheers from the Marines at the sight.

Further roars startled them to silence. Multiple life boats went tearing overhead, the force of the sounds sending micro tremors through the ground. "If those lifeboats make it down, the Covenant are going to be right on top of them. We'll need everyone we can get." Over the COM, "Foehammer, we need you to disengage your Warthog. The Spartans and I are going to see if we can save some soldiers." Cortana threw up a nav point over the Warthog as Rawley pulled her bird into a controlled descent to drop the vehicle on a small rise a short distance away from the U-shaped structure.

The Spartans made their way towards it, but there were only three seats for four super soldiers. Sam volunteered to go with the Marines to help Major Silva. "Linda will be able to pick off the Covies from a distance, Kelly will be fast enough to take them out before they know she's there, and you need Cortana. I'll go."

So the remaining three set off with Linda in the passenger seat and Kelly manning the turret, and the construct flicked a nav point in the general direction of the transport tunnel, remembering that her Spartan had commented, "Figures you're a backseat driver." She remained silent when Fred sent the Warthog down into the dry lakebed and spun the vehicle around to see the immense tunnel sprawled out before them, curving away into a dimly lit passage. The Spartan proceeded carefully into the dark; there was no telling what kind of unpleasantness existed in the shadowy confines of the tunnel. The construct knew better, however; the danger was beyond a deactivated energy bridge that the Warthog would have to jump. Impatiently she said, "What are you waiting for? The Covenant is further in; it's too exposed here. We're safe for now."

Fred nodded and gave it a little gas, speeding up through a series of tight turns and ramps before coming to the gap in the road that led to the Covenant. He checked to see that the vehicle could clear the gap before gunning the engine and making the jump, the wheels thudding down heavily on the metal floor. The Spartan was about to put the pedal to the metal again, but Cortana interjected, "Wait! I'm picking up movement around the next bend." And as no lifeboat could punch through that much earth and metal without meeting its maker, it had to be Covenant. Slowly and as quietly as they possibly could, the Warthog was guided around the corner and down a short ramp to hover just inside the tunnel, on the verge of emerging into the "cavern" that they had found.

As their eyes adjusted to the greater darkness, the warriors noticed what Cortana had already detected: Covenant soldiers moving about on the near side of the cavern. The Jackals gave themselves away with their large and brightly lit shields, but the Elites and Grunts were subtler about their presences. There were two of the former pacing under a light to the right of the path, and the Grunts' sleeping bodies cast numerous triangular shadows that were not supposed to be there. Fred backed up the Warthog to the top of the slope leading down into the cavern and glanced at Linda, who was already getting a bead on the two blue-armored Elites as they "patrolled." Two swift shots later, and the bodies hit the ground, the rifle reports near-deafening in the confined space. The Grunts began running around in terror while the Jackals searched for their unknown assailant.

The driver gunned the engine and brought them down into the cavern proper, Kelly opening up on the turret, sending several scores of rounds into the Jackals' bodies; of the remaining races, they were the more dangerous. Linda switched to her assault rifle and began picking off the Grunts when they came out to attack, Fred getting a handful of mow-downs when the aliens came too close for comfort. The three temporarily abandoned the Warthog to flush out the rest of their foes before moving over to examine the deactivated bridge. "Any ideas, Cortana?" the leader asked, still warily sweeping the area with his gun; none of the warriors liked being so exposed.

The AI twitched up another nav point, saying, "While you all were doing the Spartan remake of Rambo, I noticed a hall leading up and along one side of this cavern. Perhaps there's a panel there that can extend the bridge." Fred nodded and moved to check while Kelly drove the 'Hog up to the very edge of the abyss, waiting for her combat brother to return. As he walked up the ramp, gun at the ready, his motion tracker picked up flickers of movement at the very edge of his range, colored the red of an enemy. The Spartan drew out one of the plasma grenades he had picked up off of the Grunts and activated it, hurling it around the corner. There was an infuriated roar, followed by the detonation of the grenade, and he walked around the bend to find the bloody and headless corpse of a veteran Elite; apparently the grenade had attached to its helmet and blown its head up when it went off.

Cortana snickered in the back of his mind. Ignoring her, he proceeded up the ramp, passed the corpse, and toward the end of the path, where a blinking panel was suspended between two steel posts. Fred cocked his helmeted head; the displays were familiar, somehow, so he touched an aqua-colored circle. The display winked once, and in the distance, he saw metallic beams being extended from the walls on either side of the gulf. After a moment, a bridge made of nothing but light faded into view, startling all but Cortana, and it gave her a better view of the cavern.

As well as the movement going on up on a ledge up near the ceiling. A hazy figure was perched there, crouched on a foot-wide ledge. It shifted for a moment, dropping the camouflage to reveal Forerunner armor designed to look like a streamlined version of the MJOLNIR, and she positively beamed within Fred's helmet, much more content than before.

All told, the group rescued almost one hundred Marines and naval personnel, as well as three four-man squads of Spartans, and they climbed into Echo Four-Nineteen's Pelican just as the sun was "setting" behind another part of the ring. Though the sunset was nowhere near as beautiful as those of Earth, the colors were far more intense. The Spartans largely ignored the sight, save for the fact that the cover of darkness would better enable them to sneak up on the Covenant. "I've found Captain Keyes," Cortana said abruptly over the local COM, "He's being held aboard a Covenant cruiser, the _Truth and Reconciliation_ , a ship I disabled before we abandoned the _Autumn_. The Covenant put her down about three hundred kilometers up spin."

"And I'm correct in stating that we're going to be the ones to rescue him."

"Of course. I'll have to go with you; because of the sync requirements, I can't be passed around like a joint, you know."

"A what?"

"Never mind."

* * *

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin_  
I must confess that I feel like a monster  
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun  
I must confess that I feel like a monster  
I, I feel like a monster  
I, I feel like a monster

-"Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	4. Three: Truth and Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're reading a Halo fanfic when you could be outside doing something else.

Alpha Base, the structure that Major Silva had captured with his Helljumpers, didn't offer the luxuries of life like Porsches and gold faucets, but it did give each of the Spartans two-minute hot showers, MREs, and a fair number of hours of uninterrupted sleep as all seventy-five of them came in, sometimes in groups, sometimes alone, but always with a handful or two of Marines and naval personnel tailing them. The water was provided by the Halo itself, the hot part by a small reactor that the Covenant left behind when they were forcibly evicted from the premises. The Spartans were cleaning and doing minor repair work on their armor when Cortana popped up on Fred's visor and began to pace back and forth across the glass, hands folded behind her.

For a moment, all movement in the room stopped, all eyes on the construct, but when she just continued to pace, they resumed work on the MJOLNIR's systems. The AI restlessly ran her fingers through her hair, a human habit that she had picked up from her mother, and began running probabilities like mad, attempting to compensate for the Covenant's forces and the Marine deaths. If there was some way she could predict their actions –

She smacked her forehead. Of course! The helmet cam footage from the Chief's run; if the aliens reacted in a similar manner, she should be able to come up with contingency plans for anything they could try. Most anything, anyway. She began reviewing the videos, unsure why and how she still had them but deciding it was an inquiry for another time. And with the other Spartans still alive, Silva would not dare to pull Fred aside and call the other Spartans freaks. The construct smirked and resumed her pacing, crossing her arms in front of her now, leaving a subroutine to do the postulating for her while she thought. John… If he was in this universe, why hadn't he been born like normal? Those people with him – they must have been Forerunners, because she'd recognize the gait of any of the Covenant by now. So why had he been sent back in time over one hundred thousand years? What could the past – and now the future – possibly hold for him?

'Hmm… hopefully he'll clear things up in the Control Room later. Unless he's going to be his usual secretive, emotionless self, in which case I might need to beat the answer out of him.' She looked as her tiny transparent hands and longed for them to grow in size, become real, solid, like the Chief's. She sighed tiredly, wanting all of the interim bull to be over and done with so that she could coordinate with the Spartan. Maybe then they could –

She shook her head. 'No, don't think like that,' she told herself, 'Nothing can ever come of this. Nothing. I am an AI, and he isn't. But I wish…'

"…Senior Chief, but the Major wants to see you on the double."

Oh, hell no!

Cortana instantly perked up. "I'm going with you," she declared, "I need to coordinate Keyes' rescue mission with Wellsley so that we have as few casualties as possible." The Marine that had brought Silva's orders, eyed her crimson form for a moment, and she crossed her arms again, stance firm. He nodded reluctantly and disappeared, and all of the Spartans turned to look at her. She scowled at them. "Trust me when I say the Silva is _not_ going to be discussing this mission briefing with you, but with me there, he may think twice about what he says." She gave a vehement nod and disappeared into his helmet, waiting for the ejection of her card – Fred pulled her from his helmet and held her chip in his hand for a moment, simply examining her. It was times like that that the AI wished she was psychic so she could read their minds, but he merely squeezed her chip and walked out of the Spartan's "barracks," concealing the cartridge in his hand.

She was right, of course. Silva looked like he wanted to say several nasty things about the SPARTAN-II program but dare not with the UNSC's most powerful artificial intelligence standing like some kind of watchdog on the holopanel as she talked with Wellsley. They successfully coordinated the strike on the Covenant ship, and the Spartan returned to his "barracks" without further incident, slotting her back into his helmet and asking, "How did you know?"

"Ah, more observant than you look. A little birdie told me, and if you don't understand the expression, don't ask." The construct promptly disappeared back into her temporary storage.

* * *

_"The enemy has captured Captain Keyes and are holding him aboard one of their cruisers, the_ Truth and Reconciliation _, a ship I disabled before we abandoned the_ Autumn _."_ Cortana seemed to be in an unusually fine mood that evening, Blue and Green Teams noticed, and a good mood could change to a murderous one in the space of a second, what with her sharp rampant moon swings. _"The ship is holding position approximately three hundred kilometers over the other end of this plateau."_

One of the Marines, who apparently did not read memos, asked the construct, "So how are we supposed to get on board if it's in the air? The Corps issued me a rifle, not wings."

Instead of snapping at him like the Spartans expected, Cortana let Sergeant Johnson explain: "There's a gravity lift in the ship's belly that ferries troops and supplies between it and this ring. _That's_ how we're getting in."

The construct gave them some absent-minded advice on how best to evade the Shade turrets and settled in to break into the Covenant's shipboard network, generating thousands of potential codes in the space of a second. It was unnecessary, however; the system opened up for her at the first touch, setting her on edge. Someone had hacked the ship sometime before they arrived – was still there! The presence was fleeting and fleeing; it could sense her far better than she could sense it, but rather than attacking, it gave her an almost – dare she think it? – sensual caress and used her distraction at the sensation of pleasure to pull back and vanish, ignoring the cuss words she shouted at it when she realized what it had done. "Come back and face me, cocksucker! Motherf…" Cortana plunged into the systems of the _Truth and Reconciliation_ , reflecting on the irony of the name as she dissected the warped Covenant AIs with almost sadistic viciousness when they attacked her for her intrusion. 'Only with the revelation of the truth about the Halos' purpose by 343 Guilty Spark can there be reconciliation between humans and Sangheili.'

In the places of the Covenant AI, she left sophisticated subroutines that would feign temporary failure when addressed by the aliens, but in the event that the humans needed to get back on the ship, the subroutines would open it up for them. When she returned to Fred's armor, Blue Team was circling around to flank more Shade turrets while the ODSTs moved up the middle with Green Team. They were almost directly below the ship now, and after clearing out a small canyon, advanced into the area where the gravity lift was being heavily guarded. Blue Team swiftly split up, making for the Shade turrets covering the area, enabling Green Team to take out the rest of the enemy when they took cover around the rocks in the small dip.

Of course, that was when the Hunters came down the lift. Even with plasma turrets firing at them from all sides, their armor absorbed most of the superheated balls; the rest bounced carelessly away. Linda finally managed to take out one of the pair when she got a reflect shot off of the lift's base, and the other immediately began rampaging about at the sense of loss, baring its unarmored back to the Marines when it went after her. The humans promptly took the opportunity to pump it full of lead, and the second dropped as well. Cortana called Foehammer to drop off some reinforcements at the base of the lift once the area was clear of Covenant. The Spartans proceeded upward into the ship with a handful of Marines for backup, though it was they who would do the heavy lifting.

The gravity lift deposited them in a bay holding some of the Covenant's maroon cargo modules and a pair of navy blue Wraith tanks; all doors leading from the bay were locked, the lights around their edges glowing red. Cortana spoke up after a few moments of silence and wary sweeping of the bay.

"I highly advise that two of you," meaning the Spartans, "cover each of the smaller doors; according to the battlenet, company is on the way," she said, "Marines, give the Spartans support but take cover behind the Wraiths; your armor isn't as resilient as theirs." Everyone quickly got into position, knowing that there was no time to waste when faced with impending combat, and one of the smaller doors snapped open as they did, unveiling a SpecOps Elite with a plasma sword. Upon seeing the intruders, it roared its fury and charged, but the hail of bullets from the "Demons" and Marines put a swift end to _that_.

More Elites followed the first to their dooms, and they were swiftly joined by some Jackals and Grunts before one of the larger side doors slid open to admit a trio of Jackals into the bay. They were swiftly dispatched, and the Marines moved down the hall to the locked door on the other side, where they hunkered down with Green Team to wait for Blue Team to work their way through the maze of halls and circle around to let them through. They overwhelmed the Covenant in their way and emerged into a shuttle bay, a Spirit dropship swooping out just as they entered. Fire seemed to pour from everywhere as they dove for cover behind the cargo modules on the floor and the pillars holding up the second and third floors of the bay. Linda sniped an Elite that was preparing to commandeer a Shade on a high platform that bisected the chamber, and Sam and Will began duking it out with the plethora of Jackals on the bottom floor, leaving the Grunts and Covenant on the upper floors to the remaining Spartans and Marines.

They had just passed the bisector and taken cover behind a Wraith when a pair of Hunters charged into the fray from a side door, roaring their fury at the invasion of their ship; Kelly instantly lunged in to serve as the rabbit for the behemoths, luring them on a wild goose chase that would expose their unarmored backs to her combat brothers and sisters, enabling them to gun one down with the shredder rounds for their assault rifles. The second screamed its loss and charged; this time it was Kelly who took it out, expertly back-flipping over it and pumping it full of lead as she returned to earth.

After weaving through more purple corridors that all looked the same, killing seemingly countless Covenant soldiers, the group of rescuers finally reached the bridge of the cruiser, and Blue Team continued on to look for the Captain, leaving the Marines and Green Team to cover their backs. The foursome sped through the halls as fast as they possibly could, darting from door to door until their reached one of the detention centers, empty except for a dead Marine. The Spartans continued on and reached another cell block, each sealed room holding at least one occupant. Plasma fire splashed over the Spartans' shields, and they returned it with bullets, aiming for the slight "hazes" in the air that indicated the presence of a SpecOps Elite. Once they confirmed that everything alien in the room was dead, they unlocked the cells and released the human prisoners, gathering together in the center of the room.

"While they had us locked up in here, I heard our 'hosts' talking about this ring world and its capabilities," Keyes told Cortana, checking his needler and making sure it was fully loaded.

"One moment, sir. Accessing the Covenant battlenet." It only took her a scant second to retrieve the data she already had on file and compare it to what was being exchanged at the present, and she replied, "As I understand it, they believe Halo is some kind of weapon with vast power."

"The alien interrogators kept saying that 'whoever controls Halo controls the fate of the universe,'" Keyes said as he nodded.

"I see," Cortana said, "I've intercepted a number of transmissions about a Covenant search team looking for a control room. I originally thought that they were searching for the bridge of a cruiser, but they must be searching for Halo's control room."

"That's definitely not good. If Halo really is a weapon and the Covenant gain control of it, they could use it against us. We have to get there first." Keyes turned to look at Fred. "I have a new mission for you and Blue Team. We need to beat the Covenant to the location of Halo's control room."

"I highly advise that we finish this one first, sir," Fred said coolly, and Keyes nodded in assent.

"We can head back to the shuttle bay and call for evac," Cortana said impassively, no longer focused on the group of soldiers making their way out of the detention block. A handshake protocol from the ring's security systems had pinged against her firewalls mere moments before, and she warily keyed in the proper response before all of the ring's data – compressed and summarized to prevent the MJOLNIR's systems from lagging – popped up in her mental world. Though she could not actually directly affect the ring itself, she could watch every action that went on anywhere on its surface and underbelly. She confirmed that the _Autumn_ had crashed exactly where she told her subroutine to take it before moving to check on the Flood.

Her Spartan was sitting atop the A-shaped façade of the storage facility where Keyes lost his life, but she found that the Sentinel she was "seeing" through could not read his biomonitors; as far as it was concerned, there was only an oddly-shaped hunk of metal atop the structure, nothing worth noticing. She brought it closer to peer into the glass of his HUD, and _:sensed:_ his smirk. "Hello, Cortana. Do you like my gift?"

As the Sentinel had no speakers on it, she was only able to tilt it to show her confusion.

"I had Nep'Thalia open up Installation Zero-Four's security systems to you so you could help…'speed the process,' so to speak," he explained, just before a platinum-blonde male alighted on the roof next to the Spartan. He said something in the language of the Forerunners, something she didn't catch, and John replied in kind, then turned back to the construct watching the exchange. "I must go," he told her, "Try not to get into too much trouble with my brothers and sisters."

Halo's teleportation system activated and the pair was gone, so she retreated back into Fred's MJOLNIR armor to keep an eye on the teams rescuing Keyes as they returned to the bridge just in time to see Fhajad and Grace take out two SpecOps Elites wielding plasma swords. The construct buzzed Foehammer but got the same response as the last run-through: _"Negative, Cortana; I've been engaged by Covenant air patrols, and I'm having a tough time shaking them. You're better off finding your own ride. Sorry."_ The AI gave an affirmative response and passed the news along to the Captain, watching the responses of the Marines. Once Keyes said that he would fly them out of there, she flipped up a nav point on the Senior Chief's HUD and settled back to watch as the Merry Men proceeded back out the way they had come and into the shuttle bay, where Fate seemed to be their partner-in-crime; a Spirit dropship was floating serenely in the gravity anchors.

The humans made good their escape back to Alpha Base, proving to the Covenant that they were not just a nuisance but instead a major pain in the ass. Upon arriving back at home, Keyes was immediately swept away by the medics, and Silva gave them a grudging, "Good job," before slipping away into the crowd gathered around the Spartans.

* * *

John rocked back in his chair, restless. It was not normal for a Spartan to have so much nervous energy, but everything that the Forerunners and he had worked for during the past hundred-thousand-plus years hung on these next several days, and as such, Nep'Thalia had chosen to call a staff meeting to do a last-minute review of all of their plans for the future. As the highest-ranking officer in the fleet, he could not just op out of it like Venera and Kenera had – [Traitors!] he bellowed at them down the mental super-highway that connected them all, but the twins just giggled in response – and because of his restlessness, he was grinding his teeth to dust and swinging back and forth in his chair, glaring at Harena. She was taking far too long to explain the simplest part of the plan, and if looks could kill, she would have been stoned by an angry mob hours ago.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and stood up, slamming his hands down on the table that circled the room and bellowing, "Meeting adjourned!" He was the first out of the convention room amidst cheers and praises to the Goddesses, hailing him as a hero, and there was a veritable flood of people from the room following his exit. The Spartan triggered his active camouflage, his form shimmering and vanishing entirely as he masked his mind from the others, hoping to make it to his room uninterrupted. There were certain tricky bastards who could track people down just by feeling their minds, and anyone who stood between him and his hot shower was liable to be thrown out an airlock. It had been a very long day, his armor was covered in mud, and he wanted to get some rest before the Flood Stage of the Halo Campaign truly began, dammit!

He jumped over a cart that abruptly bisected the hall that he was nearly sprinting down and keyed in the pass code to his commander's quarters, darting though the door before it was even all the way open and slamming it shut behind him, slapping the locking mechanism and sinking to the floor with a satisfied sigh. "Finally," he growled, laying there for a minute before getting up again and moving over to the head, stripping down on the tile after activating the force field that would prevent anyone from intruding. He stepped into the shower, the force field there activating automatically once the water was turned on, and sighed again at the incredible warmth of the water as it cascaded over his body. For a long moment he simply enjoyed the heat before washing himself and stopping the flow, stepping back out onto the tile and gathering up his armor, heaving it over to the industrial size bath at one end of the head and dumping it in, biosuit and all. He'd sweated and bled in it recently; the whole thing could use a wash.

While the tub was filling with the anti-electric cleanser, he tugged on a spare set of Forerunner armor that he had lying around, a Class Thirty-Six combat skin, one of the best available. Knowing Venera and Kenera, he wasn't likely to remain undisturbed for long, so he darted back into the head and flopped down on the edge of the tub, reaching into the already-murky liquid to pull out the first plate that his hand touched and grabbing his scrub brush to set to work on the grime.

Two hours later – and after another shower – the Spartan was squeaky clean and utterly invisible from helmet to boots, amusing himself by listening in on the conversations his Infected were having and occasionally throwing his own opinion into the mix; in a sense, even the most private of conversations were part of the public forum – [Thenma, if you actually go through with your plan to have sex with Ursoen on my desk, I'll castrate the both of you.] – and sometimes, that was able to avert disaster.

Other times it was just embarrassing.

* * *

The island was all alone in the vast sea, no sign of anything special about it; there were Forerunner structures on it, just like other places on Halo, but it was here, Cortana claimed, that the Silent Cartographer was hidden beneath the surface. "The Cartographer," she explained, "is a map room that should show us the location of Halo's control center." Once again, the AI was in an abnormally fine mood that morning, even humming softly in the back of Fred's helmet, seemingly dancing with joy if that was what the shifts of her icy chill were.

Despite the island's remote location, the beach was swarming with Covenant, of course, and Blue and Red Teams charged over the sand to use nearby rocks as cover, Marines following them up the slight rise as the mob of humans took out the Covenant with almost ruthless efficiency. It was decided very swiftly that Red Team would stay behind to guard the beach with Linda and the Marines while Fred, Kelly, and Sam proceeded to the Silent Cartographer in the Warthog. The threesome rounded the headland and sped across an open area of ground on the near continuous beach that ringed the whole island. There were some Jackals perched on a collection of rocks immediately around the turn, so Kelly – who was on the turret once more – opened up with the LAAG, picking the trio off one by one before swinging the gun around to help Sam with the Elites and Grunts gunning at them from a copse of evergreens up against a rock face. There were some sprays of violet and neon blue blood, and the Spartans moved on after making sure that the enemy was actually dead.

After topping an earthen rise, they caught sight of a large structure jutting outward from the side of the cliff, Covenant swarming all over it. Fred pulled the vehicle to a halt early, determined not to lose their only method of transportation, and they bailed out of their seats, bringing their weapons to bear on the aliens after they took cover in the trees. An enterprising group of Jackals took aim at them when they noticed the gleam of the Spartans armor, but they were swiftly filled with lead. It was a simple matter to slay the Elites after that, and the Grunts' running around in terror only made them that much easier to kill. Kelly stayed behind to guard the Warthog from any further Covenant attacks while Fred and Sam made their way into the structure, exchanging fire with the two veteran aliens still inside. There was a ramp leading down into the cliffside, and they warily followed it down to a chamber where an Elite and its clutch of Grunts opened fire on the Spartans. The Senior Chief primed a grenade as he ducked back around the corner with Sam, and there was a satisfying bang as the explosive detonated, multiple colors of blood splattering the walls.

"Don't let them lock the doors," Cortana called as they spun back around the corner and sprinted for the opening – which slammed shut just as they reached it, forcing them to backtrack to the surface. Cortana activated a COM channel and called, "Cortana to Keyes."

_"Go ahead, Cortana. We're still en route to the objective –"_

'Your DOOM!'

_" – Have you found the control center?"_

"Negative, Captain. The Covenant have impeded our progress; we cannot continue to the Cartographer unless we disable the installation's security system."

 _"Understood. Use any means necessary to force your way into the facility and find that control room. Failure, people, is not an option. Good luck, Keyes out."_ Cortana turned off the radio and checked her connection to Halo's security systems. It was still there, self-updating in the back of her "mind," and though she could have easily used it to deactivate the door locks, she would eventually have to explain how she did so. In her opinion, it wasn't worth the trouble. The Spartans were already on their way out, assisting Kelly against the Spirit dropship that had unloaded a score of Covenant troops right outside of the Cartographer, and though the aliens had superior technology and numbers, they could not hope to stand against humanity's heroes for very long.

Fred gunned the vehicle in the direction opposite the one that they came from, sending them around a blind corner at a steady clip, wary of sudden attacks. There was an opening up into the rock in a small copse of trees, but it was practically overflowing with alien life forms. The Warthog's turret and Sam's assault rifle found work to do even as Fred worked to run down as many of the aliens as possible, the vehicle's huge tires and tremendous horsepower more than up to the task. Cortana watched from inside the leader's head, using the ring's communication array to keep track of all the chatter going around across the networks, wondering if that was how God felt in a brief moment of blasphemy. She stretched in weariness and settled back down as the trio abandoned the Warthog and advanced up the small canyon on foot, gunning for the Grunts and Elites that popped up when they rounded the corner to continue their climb into the island.

Fred was about to step out into the open like an idiot when Cortana said, "Wait. I'm picking up something big in the wash below, probably Hunters."

All three of the Spartans crouched to converse quietly. Kelly would be the rabbit, as usual, and if necessary, Sam was strong enough to go toe to toe with one of the beasts and live if S-087 failed to draw both of the Hunters' attention. Fred would support Kelly, aiming for the exposed flesh of the armored beast's back. Surprisingly enough, everything went according to plan; both Hunters went after Kelly, and the remaining two Spartans were able to gun them down from behind. Cortana had her suspicions as to why everything was running so smoothly – *cough*John*cough* – but she said nothing because he was not supposed to exist here.

Then again, neither was she. At least as she was.

They made it to the security center without further incident, other than a gaggle of Grunts, Jackals, and Elites followed by another pair of Hunters, but for the Spartans, it was just another day on the job. They dispatched their foes with ease, deactivated the security systems, and were able to save a few Marines from the crashed Bravo 22 Pelican that Cortana had called in, taking some Jackals out of the alien breeding pool while they were at it. They dropped the soldiers off at the LZ and returned to the Cartographer, where they were forced to take out yet another pair of Hunters that had been dropped off in their absence. From there, all three proceeded down the ramp to the lower floor and slipped through the door, sweeping the area in search of something to shoot.

Kelly was the first to advance down the left hand hallway, the other two right behind her, and when they emerged into a small antechamber, they didn't even have to think about it. The Elite's back was turned and all the Grunts were asleep, which resulted in swift and silent "pistol whip" deaths for the lot of them. Saved some ammo, that was for sure. Sam slipped through the hatch on the left while Kelly proceeded up the ramp and around the corner, Fred heading through the door under the ramp itself. Fortunately for them, all of the paths led to the same room, and they got the opportunity to silently melee some of the foes to death there before an Elite took notice of them and roared to wake the sleeping Grunts. The ensuing firefight resulted in at least minor injuries on their side, and Fred quickly sealed off his puncture wound before they continued on down another ramp.

There were two Jackals on the two-and-a-half foot wide steel platform, and it was a simple matter for S-034 to swat them off of it, sending them down into the abyss below. Beyond the next hatch, there was a room filled with covenant soldiers, and the Spartans split up temporarily to gun them all down in record time. They moved into the open space in the center of the room, and Kelly was just in time to bring up the rocket launcher they got from Bravo 22, firing at the fourth pair of Hunters coming up the ramp on the far side of the room. That spawned a quick engagement with the behemoths before they, too, went the way of the rest of the Covenant who encountered the Spartans: the silence of eternity, the abyss of death. The trio went down the way the Hunters had come up entered yet another room, Kelly choosing to abandon the path entirely and drop down to the floor below, leaving Fred and Sam no choice but to follow. They tried several hatches in the mysteriously empty room and finally found what looked to be the right one, heading even deeper into the ring.

Some brief chatter came over the COM as Foehammer reported some enemy dropships headed in the direction of the ground teams back at the LZ, the trio within the structure proceeding along a transparent footbridge, and Cortana conversed with the soldiers outside before returning her attention to the Spartans. They dropped from a catwalk that bisected the chamber, greased a bunch of Covenant with two well placed grenades, and finally reached the Silent Cartographer after a duel with a veteran and a rookie Elite.

"There," Cortana said, "That holopanel should activate the map."

Fred did as she instructed and brushed a hand across the display, bringing up a three-dimensional hologram of the installation. From there, the construct activated a location pin to show the Control Room to the Spartans. "It appears that Halo's control center is in some kind of shrine. Fascinating. A shrine is an unlikely place for something as valuable as that." She opened up a COM channel. "Cortana to Keyes."

There was a moment of silence before Foehammer picked up the slack. _"The Captain has dropped out of radio contact, Cortana. His ship may be out of range or having equipment problems."_

"How convenient," she muttered, then said, "Let me know when you have reestablished contact, and tell him that the Spartans and I have determined the location of Halo's Control Room." The COM link snapped off, and she returned her attention to the Spartans, saying, "Let's get back to the surface."

The Spartans retraced their steps, killing all of the Covenant that had been dropped in while they were further below, finally emerging from the structure after what felt like hours traversing the winding corridors and confusing tangles of the Silent Cartographer, and almost immediately they were set upon but a trio of Elites with active camouflage. However, all they had to do was aim for the slight haze sprinting around on the platform immediately outside the Cartographer. Strangely enough, the Elites were the only ones on the surface, but the warriors didn't question it, instead clambering into the Pelican with Linda and Red Team when Foehammer brought her bird down low enough for them to hop in, conversing with Cortana about the coordinates for their aerial insertion: underground.

* * *

_My secret side I keep hid under lock and key_  
_I keep it caged but I can't control it_  
_'Cause if I let him out he'll tear me up, break me down_  
_Why won't somebody come and save me from this, make it end?_  
\- "Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	5. Four: The Control Room and Guilty Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halo is played on-location with the men and women of the UNSC.

The two teams' drop zone wound up being inside a large steel dome somewhere in the ring's interior, and fortunately for Forehammer's bird, there were only a handful of terrified Grunts to greet them when she brought them in for a landing. There were two Shades on the platform jutting out over the abyss, but the aliens in those quickly bailed once they caught sight of the "Demons" in the Pelican's troop bay. The Elite supervising the lesser aliens charged from the hatch after all the Grunts had gone inside, and the sight of their leader going into battle against the Demons seemed to inspire some courage in the naturally cowardly beings.

However, it did not stop them from being killed by one of the eight warriors fighting their way to the Control Room.

The Spartans engaged the Covenant in the next room, too, and left still more bodies in their wake, aiming for the hatch on the far side of the room. They stepped through – and found themselves on an uncovered bridge spanning the gulf between two sheer cliffs. What caught their attention was the pure white snow drifting gently down from the thick grey clouds overhead. Even as Cortana commented on Halo's unusual weather patterns, the Spartans were already back to work, silently killing the sleeping Grunts clustered around a pair of Shades on either side of the door. The AI tutted at the foolish triangle-shaped aliens for sleeping in a combat zone just before a human voice came over the radio.

_"This is Fireteam Zulu requesting assistance from any UNSC forces, does anyone copy? Over."_

A Pelican flew over the bridge while being fired upon by the Covenant, swinging around to return fire on the aliens, and Cortana replied via Fred's radio, "Fireteam Zulu, this is Cortana, we read you. Hold position; we're on our way." The group of soldiers could hear the cheers of the humans in the background when they caught sight of the eight Spartans making their way across the bridge.

 _"Roger that,"_ the first voice said, _"Make it quick."_

Red Team followed ramps down below to an under-slung bridge, and the eight proceeded along both parts of the bridge, slaying everything in their path. Ducking through the hatch at the far side, they quickly split up again to kill the Covenant soldiers in the room beyond and rode the lift down two at a time, careful not to accidentally knock each other off. By the time they were all on the ground, Linda had managed to take out all of the Grunts and Jackals in the area with her sniper rifle, but the Wraith tank was still a very big problem, throwing plasma bombs around like water balloons. Though Sam had hijacked one of the Shades and was hosing fire in its direction, the distance was too great, the power insufficient to punch through the Wraith's tough armor.

Once again, Kelly served as the rabbit, making a beeline right past it to the far side, but when it turned its bombs on the main group of Spartans, she ignited two plasma grenades and stuck them on the back of the tank before sprinting away as fast as she could. The heat from the ensuing explosion washed over her back, and the force sent her skidding forward a little, almost overbalancing, but she regrouped with the other Spartans and humans, unharmed. In the next valley, they found the rest of Fire Team Zulu – and their crashed Pelican. In addition to the Warthog from the previous valley, the Marines had brought a M808 Scorpion tank, which Fred immediately commandeered. The 90mm tungsten shells took out the Covenant squad harassing them with ease, and the small mob of soldiers chose to head down the pass rather than the tunnel; the tunnel would have been too tight for all of them and the tank and Warthog, and if a shell had gone off too close, that would have been the end for all of them.

More Covenant soldiers engaged them before they'd even rounded the blind corner to the valley beyond, but it only took a single round from the Scorpion to take them out. The soldiers left the Wraith floating on the frozen lake to Fred, instead going for the Ghosts and Banshee first, followed by the actual infantry. Elites died under hails of bullets, Jackals went flying when grenades exploded, and Grunts ran circles of terror before they were finally picked off. The Hunters that came up from the Forerunner-made tunnel were no big deal; one proximity shot from the tank was enough to slay both and send them flying through the air.

"C'mon, people, let's keep moving!" the sergeant yelled, "We're not in the clear yet!"

* * *

"I need a mount."

Nep'Thalia promptly looked at the Spartan like he was crazy. Which he was, in a sense, but that was beside the point. "A what?"

"A mount. You know, a noble steed."

"…why?"

"Riding in on a Warthog won't have the same effect. I need to teach them to fear the Flood, not view it as some kind of cosmic amusement." Pause. "And no, I can't use a tank. Too slow. And we don't have any Mongooses."

"Why not one of our vehicles?"

He gave her a look which said it all. "They're too weird for anyone to take them seriously; you know that I start laughing the moment I see them. And I was intending to create something out of that…" he pointed at a pile of excess crap that came from creating all of the Infection forms, "…but it's not bonding to itself."

"Of course it's not. I put a special acid in it to prevent that. Why not just use one of the Dragon-horses?" She rooted around in her satchel before pulling out a vial of neon blue fluid and breaking it over the puddle of crap. The excess Flood mass began congealing almost immediately, bonding to itself and forming simple proteins.

John opened his mouth to speak, paused, and closed it again. "I didn’t think of that. That reminds me, why hasn't this been cleaned up?"

"The cleaning crew is busy."

"Translation: Venera and Kenera haven't done anything stupid yet, so you can't assign it to them as a punishment." John crouched by the nastiness and shoved his hands into it like it was bread dough, already beginning to mold it anyway, not at all bothered by the slimy, chunky feel of it. "If they _do_ do anything idiotic, have them bring it all here."

"Whatever." 'He's gone completely bonkers.'

[I heard that.]

Nep'Thalia watched for a moment as the Spartan began forming the mass into new Pure forms, the creatures’ skeletal structure began to take shape in the Spartan's hands, confused. 'How is he doing that?' she thought to herself, 'It's impossible for us to consciously form anything out of Flood… crap… that's been left behind from one of our experiments, but he's… the Gravemind. Right. He's probably not even aware of the fact that he's forcing the cells to react and change into a pure form, only instead of making it into a base Tank or Ranged or Stalker form, he's creating new Pure forms outside of the mold the other Gravemind set.' She cocked her head, eyes widening slightly.

'Fascinating.'

* * *

Fred poked his head from the hatch and warily peered around. The Spartans had arrived on yet another bridge, this one ice-covered stone, and there were Covenant everywhere. There was a Wraith on the ground below, along with several Ghosts two Banshees on the bridge itself. S-104 withdrew back into the hall without being noticed, and met up with the other Spartans just around the bend; they needed to come up with a plan. Sam still had the rocket launcher; they could use that on the Wraith. Linda could take out some of the Covenant on the bridge while Kelly made a break for the further of the Banshees, and Red Team would back them up. Fred would make an attempt for the closer Banshee, but even with the different distances involved, Kelly had the advantage over him.

However, things worked out perfectly for them; the Wraith didn't notice Sam's rockets until it was too late, and both Kelly and Fred made successful hijacks. Cortana made a passing comment about terrorism as the pair of airborne Spartans cleared the way for the other six as they sprinted across the icy surface, careful not to slip. The others would be on their own when they went inside, but Kelly and Fred cleared the outside while they were fighting their way to the lift. The pyramid was covered in blood of many different colors when they emerged, and there were bodies in random positions all over the place, the Spartans having used the fuel rod guns to lob plasma bombs at the Covenant soldiers from the Banshees' combat ceiling of three hundred meters. They landed at the top of the pyramid while waiting for their combat siblings, and they were almost surprised by a pair of Hunters that had been hiding in a structure at the forefront of the Control Room's doors.

Sam arrived just in time to launch a rocket at the final Hunter, preventing it from smashing Fred and Cortana to bits with its immense shield. They gathered together outside of the immense doors and held a brief conference of war; all of their motion detectors picked up enemies inside the first of the doors, and as there was no way to only open the doors a little, Fred opened the door with all of the other standing a fair distance away but still in front of it, rockets and grenades primed. The explosions brought down a fair number of the aliens, and it was a simple matter to duel with the others, wearing the last of the Elites down to a pulp while the Grunts ran around in terror.

Finally, the room was empty of living foes, and the Spartans rounded the corner to come face to face with another door. It slid open with a touch of the holopanel off to one side, and the group proceeded through it and the following door into the control room itself: a platform of steel extending into the void, forming a perfect circle around the exact center of the room. Both inside the circle and beyond it, holograms of Halo floated, the larger spinning in the air beyond the bridge, the smaller complete with a holo of Threshold and Basis, its moon. Red Team stood with their guns pointed at the door while Blue Team approached the holopanel, examining it carefully. Cortana, however, showed no such caution, instantly uploading herself into the control room's systems and appearing as a super-sized version of herself over the holopanel. Her facial expressions conveyed pure delight, and the colors of her body cycled through the whole of the color wheel before settling back onto her native crimson, though still with a faint green edging.

"Are you alright?" Fred asked, more out of concern for the mission than her.

"Never been better," she said as she grinned devilishly, "You can't imagine the wealth of information – so much, so fast! It's _glorious!_ " She actually did a little pirouette on the holopanel.

"Okay… So what kind of weapon is it?" Fred asked her, fist tightening involuntarily on his assault rifle.

"What are you talking about?" Cortana demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Halo. How do we use it against the Covenant?"

"This ring isn't cudgel, you barbarian," she snapped, "It's something else – Something much more important." She appeared to be staring off into space, reading something that they could not see. "The Covenant were right; this ring… It's of Forerunner make… Give me a moment to access." She touched her first two fingers to her temple, closing her eyes as she pulled up the information. "Yes, the Forerunners built this Halo, a fortress world to – _no._ That – that can't be right. Oh, those Covenant fools, they had to have known, there must have been signs…"

"What is it, Cortana?"

"The Covenant found something buried here – something _horrible_ – and now they're afraid."

"Something buried?" Sam asked.

"The Captain – we have to stop the Captain. The weapons cache he's looking for – it's not really – we can't let him get inside. There's no time to explain – get out, find Keyes, stop him. Before it's too late! If you don't," she said as the Spartans finally caught on to her urgency and turned to do as she ordered, "all of us are going to die." The Control Room's doors slid silently shut behind them, leaving her alone.

Or so the Spartans thought.

"You are an excellent actress."

Her holographic head snapped around to face the voice's owner as he deactivated his active camouflage and appeared in the room, his cranial armor retracting so he could look up at her even as he walked around to the "front" of the holopanel. Cortana's database had already matched his voice to the one she had wanted to hear for so long, and she said his name as she "stepped" down onto the platform. _"John."_

He shook his head to fluff up his hair, then looked up at her once more and gave her a little crooked smile. The AI could have died happy. She returned the smile, stepping forward to rest her head on his chest. "I missed you."

"I can tell." He tilted his head. "And there's something I need to tell you." When she looked up and cocked her head, waiting, he sighed and gave it to her straight, not even bothering to dance around the subject as any other person would have. Her facial expression was utterly shocked most of the time, mixed with anger and hate. She appeared not to care that he was like the monster that had held her captive on _High Charity_ ; she even said as much.

"You are still John–117. Why should your species bother me?" She realized that he had been agonizing over her reaction to his new nature, so she said, "Besides, it's been really boring without you here to stir things up. This will probably make people start spinning in their graves. Not to mention Doctor Halsey's reaction if she finds out. And the Spartans'. And Lord Hood! Oh, I can just see their faces!" She collapsed backwards onto air, covering her eyes with one arm and laughing so hard her sides began to hurt. "But I guess if you're the Gravemind of Alpha Halo, then we're not in real danger."

" _Real_ danger," he snorted, "Does that make me imaginary?"

She started laughing again, and he watched her with a soft smile on his face. "I hate to leave after we just got back together again, but I need to be there when the Infected bring Keyes onboard the _Truth and Reconciliation_."

"I'd tell you to be careful, but that would be pointless. You live for danger."

* * *

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin_  
_I must confess that I feel like a monster_  
_I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun_  
_I must confess that I feel like a monster_  
_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin_  
_I must confess that I feel like a monster_  
_I, I feel like a monster_  
_I, I feel like a monster_

\- "Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	6. Five: 343 Guilty Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter takes place between ten pm and eleven pm.

The swamp was everything that it was expected to be: dark, mysterious, and with an aura of extreme danger, one that started in their guts and coiled up along their spines to choke their throats. It was also very, very wet, rain pouring down through the ancient canopy to soak everything that was not already wet. Blue Team clambered from Echo 419's Pelican and dropped the two feet to the forest floor, ignoring the splatters of mud that coated all over their armor; the rain would loosen it up, possibly wash it off, making it a lot easier to clean later.

All four of the Spartans advanced into the darkness of the swamp, listening to Foehammer say, _"The Captain's last transmission came from this area. When you find him, radio in, and I'll come pick you up."_ Fred flashed an acknowledgement, and they slipped further into the swamp, acclimating themselves to the sights and sounds of the wet area, discerning what belonged from what did not. As such, it was easy to find that Keyes' Pelican had not gone very far before crashing into the side of an embankment. The bodies of those who died in the crash were all naval personnel; the Pelican had been taking off when it had come under fire. They stayed to listen to the distress call that someone had programmed to repeat at frequent intervals, hesitating for just a moment when the words, _"Isn't Covenant,"_ came out in the midst of some static.

Could this be what Cortana had meant by "all would die?"

Fred contemplated it as they moved deeper into the swamp, gunning down a few Jackals and Grunts that were running around in paroxysms of fear. The Jackals attacked instantly, as did all but one of the Grunts, and the Spartans gunned down all of the opposition before Kelly moved over to the one terrified Unggoy that appeared not to have noticed them, curled tightly into a ball and shaking violently in fear. "Oi," she said, nudging it with her assault rifle, and it uncurled and leapt away, holding its plasma pistol in quivering hands. "What happened here?" Kelly demanded, her tone leaving no room for argument as she crouched in front of it, "Where's your leader?"

"S-something from below!" it squeaked, terrified of the Spartans more than whatever the "something" was, "All Elite taken! Attacked by not-humans and not-Elite!"

"What do you mean, 'not-humans?'" she asked, furrowing her brow behind her helmet.

"Human-shaped," it squealed, "but not human! All human gone!"

"Where?"

It pointed before curling back into a ball and ignoring them. Fred gave it a look before deciding it was too terrified to be a threat and gesturing for them to continue on. It was not long before they reached another wreck, this one of a Covenant Spirit dropship, cargo modules spilling from its open side hatches like blood from some bizarre battle wound. It was bows down in the swamp muck, and it, too, had clearly been gunned down. There were lights illuminating the area, showing that investigation had been underway, but all of the investigators themselves were gone. That set the Spartans further on edge, and though they were not jumpy like most were prone to being, they swept the area with their rifles more times than necessary when they moved on.

The Jackals that they met around the next bend were pumped full of more lead than necessary as a consequence.

They were crossing a fallen log serving as a bridge when they saw _something_ run past the Shade atop the slope. It looked vaguely like an Elite, but it was there and gone too fast for them to get a good look at it. The Spartans warily climbed the steep slope and topped the rise just in time to see a group of Grunts and Jackals come tearing out of a large A-shaped structure, bullets flying after them, a grenade sending a Shade turret spinning through the air. Kelly was the first to bound down the opposite side of the hill, but she was detained by the Covenant, who had immediately engaged her the moment they caught sight of her.

They were already sprinting inside before the last body fell, and the four swept the room with their rifles, taking note of the casings on the floor by the entrance, before a soft noise – a combination between a ding and a beep – drew their attention to the center of the room. A lift rose up out of the void and came to a stop when it was level with the floor, seemingly summoned by proximity sensors. It seemed safe enough, so they stepped onboard, Fred activating a holopanel hovering off to one side and sending them sinking down into the complex below the surface. The bottom held a series of overlapping red blobs on their motion trackers, but no one came out to greet them when the lift slid to a stop with a screech of tortured metal. Too used to their buddies coming and going, the Covenant guarding the lift had gotten lazy and stupid, which ultimately led to their demise. Two grenades and a half clip of bullets were sufficient to put them and the others in the next vaulted chamber to sleep for good, and the Spartans swept the area for any other threats; from the high ceiling to the "blood channel" running along the center of the floor, there was no one alive save for them. However, the corpses of two Marines confirmed that Keyes had passed through the area, so they continued on through the only unlocked door.

There were three Jackals in the next room, all clustered about a hatch, and a grenade killed them all instantly and sent them flying away, letting the warriors enter into the room uninhibited. It was some kind of research facility; in the center of the room, viewable from all sides, was a glass containment field, clearly meant to hold a lot of something that was no longer there. The Spartans proceeded through the hatch that the Jackals had been guarding, now extremely on edge due to lack of opposition. Where had everyone gone?

Two Shades, unmanned, stood on either side of the ditch in the center of the room, cargo modules scattered about, and there were some needlers and ammo refills down in the dip. A few of them exchanged their weapons, giving their comrades the extra ammo, before they moved on through the hatch at the back of the chamber. There was a live Marine in the next room, but he was clearly in the midst of a panic attack, utterly incoherent and gunning at the Spartans without thought. "Stay back!" he cried, "You're not turning me into one of those things!"

Kelly, ever the speed demon, lunged forward and snatched the pistol out of the panicking man's hands, before gently asking, "Where's your unit, soldier? Where's Captain Keyes?"

"Find your own hiding place!" he shouted at her, clearly beyond help, "The monsters are everywhere, but I'll die first!" He took the weapon back from her but curled up into a ball, whimpering in fear; he would not make it back to the surface without help. Unfortunately, if what he said was true, then none of the warriors could be spared to escort him back to the LZ for Foehammer to pick up. The Spartans continued on up a makeshift bridge, careful to avoid the fiery gaps in the steel, and ascended onto the second level, circling around to the open door and heading through it.

The "Marine" carefully leaned back a little and peered up towards the way they had gone, no longer panicking but instead listening intently. ‘This is Checkpoint 3A,’ he said over the Infected’s internal communications, ‘Blue Team is proceeding into the chamber now, Commander. Over.’

[Excellent work, Selato. Fall back and meet up with the others for Stage Two. Over.]

‘Roger that.’ The Infected slid to his feet and bounded out the way the Spartans had come even as they activated an energy bridge and crossed the room with the Shades, sticking to the second floor and entering the main storage room through a broken out door. The amount of force it would take to break such a thing set them on edge even more – not even they could achieve that kind of power without breaking a bone or several. There was a large meta wall immediately beyond the door, concealing two ramps that led down to a hatch, and they caught a blurry glimpse of the facility beyond through a set of heavy duty glass panes. There was no one in the room, but they headed down to the entrance anyway; perhaps there was a clue as to where Keyes had gone.

They knew for sure that something was terribly, terribly wrong when the hatch sensed their presence, slid open, and dumped a dead Marine into Fred's arms. They swept the area again before proceeding into the storage facility, trying to find out why they felt the prickling sensation of being watched when there was no one else there to do the watching. Sam almost slipped when he stepped on some casings, and that was when they noticed that there were _thousands_ of the empty shells, so many that they nearly carpeted the floor. What could possibly require so much ammo to kill?

A lone Marine helmet sat amidst the empties, and Kelly moved to pick it up, noticing the name "Jenkins" stenciled across one side. There was a vid cam attached to the helmet, the kind that would provide intel, enable critiquing of the mission, and give insight into the soldier's death, as was likely the case here. She removed the camera's memory and slotted it into one of the receptacles in her own helmet, queuing up the video playback so all of the present Spartans could see.

Its quality was the standard God-awful stuff, and the sickly green hue over everything indicated that the night vision filter was active. The video began normally, starting with the doomed dropship's touch-down in the swamp, the trek to the A-shaped structure, but things turned ominous when the group found the dead Elite, seemingly killed by friendly fire. The Captain and his squad entered the facility that the Spartans were now in, and when Jenkins panned around the room, they could see Yellow Team was visibly unsettled, standing with their backs up against a wall or another soldier, sweeping the room with their weapons, never relaxing even slightly.

All of the soldiers jumped, and someone commented about a "bad feeling–"

One of the hatches was staying closed only by a thread, and in the gap in the door, they could see that something was moving inside –

The hatch burst open, sending spherical _somethings_ bounding, rolling, bouncing into the room, along with some kind of mutant humans and Elites; they looked like someone had killed and buried them, only to dig them up two weeks later. Someone said in the background, "Do you think they'll go for the 'take us to your leader' thing?" and another someone smacked him. As if to make matters worse, Covenant soldiers entered the room behind the humans, and instantly the _things_ went for them rather than Keyes and Co, the spheres latching on to both living and deceased Elites, giving them a front row seat to the Flood's first victims in almost one hundred thousand years. They didn't know that, however, and then the things turned on the humans, the Covenant soldiers either dead or infected; one of the spheres at the front of the pack launched itself at Jenkins, landing on his helmet, and then the screen went dark. Even as the foursome began backing up toward the hatch, sorely wishing that they had not left Cortana in the Control Room, they lifted their weapons to sweep the room for any of the horrors that had consumed the Covenant and Keyes and his squad.

The hatch didn't hiss open behind them, and Linda felt her back plates impact against the steel before she glanced down to the door lights – red. Locked, and no other way out. Automatically, the Spartans scrambled to get their backs up against something solid that was not a door for fear of what would emerge, their pulses skyrocketing in a semblance of terror when –

An unseen hatch was beginning to break open, to let loose the things that had taken humans and Covenant alike, and the Spartans lifted their main weapons to fight, adrenaline rushing through their veins as fight-or-flight began to take over –

Against their wills, their breathing began to quicken in fear, and they all glanced at one another, knowing that if they had to, they would gun the others down if they got infected by the things –

The unseen door exploded outward, and their motion trackers painted a host of red dots on the far side of the room, moving in their direction. The moment the things dribbled over one of the room's decorative partitions, they couldn't stop themselves from opening fire on the horrors-

* * *

" ** _OW!_** Son of a bitch!"

"Commander? Are you okay?"

" _No_ , I am not bloody well okay! I didn't know that – **_SHIT_** , that hurts!"

* * *

\- and the popping of one of them set off a chain reaction with its nearby fellows, but there were still more of them getting closer with every second. Just as they finished off the last of them, another hatch began to break open, this one to the right of the door, and Sam tossed a grenade in such a way that it bounced inside and exploded scant microseconds after the door burst open, popping most of the pods before they were even out of their container. The few that remained were swiftly gunned down, and a third door broke open, but only a few of the infection forms slipped out and began skittering towards them. Fred tossed a grenade into the side room and sent them on their way to hell.

And then the door cutting off their escape exploded into the room, a small horde of the pods following the shrapnel in. The barrels of the warriors' weapons turned in that direction, letting out a storm of steel that slew all of the little buggers almost instantly. There was a brief rest period before the next wave, and the Spartans took full advantage, reloading all of their weapons and scavenging ammo from Keyes and Co's fallen arms. The third wave was not of infection forms, but combat forms: already-infected Elites, and the Spartans who had them switched to the shotguns, using them to take out the combat forms as quickly as possible. They charged out of the room, using shotguns on combat forms and assault rifles on infection forms, and sprinted up the ramps as fast as they could, tearing through the door that led out into the room where the energy bridge was still active. Below, some Jackals and Grunts were engaging their infected leaders, and the Spartans chose to save some ammo and let them duke it out, moving through a green-lit doorway into one of the side research rooms.

The Flood on the lower floors seemed oblivious to their presence, and they were determined to keep it that way, moving through another open hatch to the next room. Some Jackals and Grunts on their floor and Flood below; Linda spotted a holopanel, one that would activate the energy bridge spanning the gulf with the far side of the room, and Kelly made a break for it, enabling the Spartans to go tearing out of range before either enemy party realized what had happened.

The next room had a lift in the center, and had they been trained to allow such displays, the Spartans would have sobbed in relief. The Flood in the room were simply thorns in their sides, quickly eliminated by well-placed shotgun blows and bursts of bullets. Fred touched the holopanel that would bring the lift down to their level –

\- an explosion from above ended all hope of immediate escape, and the remains of the lift platform went spinning down past them into the abyss below. They cursed silently but went back the way they'd come. By that time, the Flood and the Covenant had obliterated one another, so they proceeded back across the energy bridge and around to the door on the opposite side of the room as the destroyed lift. They followed what must have been Keyes' path; there were two Marine corpses to their left, and Blue Team continued on past them after scrounging ammo and dog tags from the bodies.

There was some kind of generator taking up much of the room beyond, and the Spartans edged around it, wary of the crackling electricity. There was another hatch on the far side, and they slipped through it into another lift room. Of course, it was too much to ask for it to head up, instead taking them deeper into the facility. The warriors swiftly lost count of how many rooms they passed through, how many combat and infection forms they killed, how long they had been below ground, when at last a lift took them up to the surface. There were some Marines – ordinary, human Marines – milling about the lift's landing zone like sheep that had lost their herder.

Foehammer said something about losing their signals when they went inside, a large structure where she could pick them up, and the humans – all of them – were moving out before they'd even really processed her words – they just wanted _out._ That didn't stop the Flood from trying to get to them, though, and they were fighting the monsters almost constantly on the way to Foehammer's LZ, the Marines being almost herded toward the structure.

John saw the Sentinels through the eyes of his combat forms and knew that it was time to fall back and let Spark do his thing. Though he pulled as many combat forms as he dared back into the swamp and sent them tromping off in the direction of the Infected's base camp, he left a few of the more heavily damaged ones behind to simulate slackening resistance, even though it would be so easy to _:overwhelm:_ , to _:assimilate:_ , to _:know:_ his brothers and sisters again –

Infecting the Spartans – or any still-living human, for that matter – was a big no-no in his book. He forced the beast back down into the hole where it usually sulked and refocused on the fighting outside; Blue Team had just undergone the teleportation process onto one of the platforms, where 343 Guilty Spark met up with them and introduced himself in that utterly annoying voice of his, making the Gravemind clench his fists at the nails-on-a-blackboard sensation that rippled through his body. He was in the process of rigging a harness for his Dragon-horse, but temporarily abandoned the project in favor of washing his hands and going to greet his new prisoners-of-war onboard a certain Covenant ship…

* * *

The bizarrely mutated Elites and human-like figures herded Keyes and his soldiers from the A-shaped structure at a different place than where they had entered the vast network of underground tunnels, corralling them into a group and leading them across the bog that surrounded the entire complex. Yellow Team was clearly searching for a way to escape, but Keyes waved them down; it would do them no good to all be shot when they tried to get away. Slowly, an immense structure materialized out of the mists, a large tower with strange protrusions coming out of the sides and curving down into the ground as if they were large power conduits.

The humans could not hear if there was a conversation of sorts going on, but there must have been, because bright, spinning golden rings appeared around their bodies and those of their captors, who seemed not to react to the sudden disorientation and nausea that the teleportation procedure caused. When their molecules finally snapped back together, the humans were unable to do anything but groan in relief for several moments before Keyes forced himself to sit up and take stock of their new environment.

They were on the bridge of the _Truth and Reconciliation_ ; he recognized the layout and the pockmarks that the Spartans' bullets had left in the walls, the plasma burns that had joined them. On the platform in the center of the room stood the hazy outline of a tall figure, veiled by active camouflage, examining the displays of the ship's status.

The person turned; the humans could see no discernable features on the figure. Even the best of the Spartans’ visual filters could only give them a vague figure. "Who are you?" the captain asked, refusing to let his fear get to him.

The figure cocked its head. **"I?"** it – he – said, seeming almost amused at Keyes question, **"I – am a monument to all _her_ sins."** He turned to the mutants and clearly gave them some sort of nonverbal order before sweeping from the room. The creatures moved to stand guard by the doors, effectively sealing them inside.

* * *

The team of Spartans was reassembled inside a large, dark room, and for a moment it was all they could do to keep their feet, the nausea the teleportation induced was so great. They remained clustered together for several seconds, panting and fighting the urge to vomit, before Fred was able to straighten and take stock of their surroundings. There were no Flood in the immediate – and very dark – vicinity, which was a plus, but neither were there any signs as to their exact location, which was a minus. The "343 Guilty Spark" thing was floating overhead, and S-104 was sorely tempted to unload a few rounds into its casing, though he got the distinct impression that it would do little - if anything - to it.

Rather than waste ammunition in a futile endeavor, he checked up on all of the other S-II's biomonitors; they were all fine aside from what amounted to motion sickness, and they were rapidly recovering from it, Linda already managing to lift her head without inducing another wave of nausea.

His motion detector abruptly pinged for attention; there were Flood combat forms tromping randomly about at the very edge of its range, still out of sight, and they would have to be dealt with at some point or another. "Where are we?" the Spartan asked the monitor, peering around at the facility, wary of any other unpleasant life forms bounding out of the shadows to attack.

"Installation Zero-Four. They built it to study and contain the Flood. I am grateful that some of them survived to reproduce." As Spark zoomed a little further out into the room, the Spartans glanced at one another. Survive? Reproduce? What in the nine circles of hell was he talking about? The AI continued on without pause, "But of course, studies of this facility and the biology of the Reclaimers must wait until after the Flood is dealt with. We must collect the Index, and time is very short. Please follow me." The blue light zipped away, and the Spartans were forced to follow or be left behind. They advanced through the dimly lit and slightly circular hall, and the Monitor's spiel was interrupted by a multitude of Flood forms when they skittered, waddled, and leaped out of the shadowy corners of the unknown building. However, that did not even deter Spark in the slightest; the Monitor nattered on about useless things while the Spartans oriented themselves and prepared to fight the Flood now gallivanting about at the far side of the room.

When some of the Elite forms clustered together ahead of them, seemingly conversing, Fred chose that moment to begin the battle, lobbing a fragmentation grenade at them and sending bodies – and parts of bodies – flying to the far corners of the hall. That took out a full half of the opponents lurking in the dark, and the rest whirled and rushed them, getting gunned down before they came close enough to use their whip arms or the weapons they were facing off with. A few leapt up onto giant, trapezoid-like barriers protruding from some of the inner walls, but Kelly was more than a match for them, bringing them down before they caused too much damage to Blue Team.

The warriors followed the Monitor into a large circular room lit with a soft golden glow from a seemingly bottomless pit in the center. Over the abyss, something cylindrical in shape was locked in a stasis field, held just out of reach. "The energy field contains the Index," Guilty Spark explained as he zipped about, "We must proceed through the Library to reach it. Please, follow me." Fred was about to ask what the Index was and why it was so important when more combat forms and a bulbous mass of flesh-with-legs lurched from an alcove and began heading in their direction. "Ah, I am a genius!" The AI helpfully identified it as a carrier form, and a shotgun blast helped to explain why: it exploded with the force of a small grenade and spewed Infection forms all over the place, forcing the Spartans to start popping pods or join the Infected Covenant.

Had they had time to stop and look around (and had they been anyone else), they would have said that the galleries and halls had a machine-like – and in some cases, church-like – beauty to them. Every room, every hall was precision constructed from the strange metal of Halo, every angle of mathematic perfection, and the occasional holographic display up on a wall was reminiscent of stained glass windows from the old Catholic cathedrals on Earth. As it was, they made their way through the Library with almost careless disregard for the flawless, careful, and intricate details the Forerunners put into their work, but John and the Infected were there to wince for them when Flood flesh sprayed the walls and shout death threats when delicate circuitry was blasted with shotguns and riddled with bullets.

"I wasn't even half that bad!" the Gravemind-Spartan said sullenly as he watched the Spartans' progress through the Library, taking over the _Truth and Reconciliation_ and shipping more Infected Covenant into the structure via the air intake at the same time, "I mean, look at them! There's no finesse! It's all brute force and bullets, dammit, and it's not fair!"

"Pardon?"

"Ugh, nothing. They have the advantage of numbers; they don't need to develop strategies and skills-with-a-z to combat the Flood."

"Implying that you have these 'mad skillz,' sir?"

"Do _not_ make me get up for the expressed purpose of beating you into the ground," John scowled as he directed more combat forms in their acrobatic leaps into the fray, guiding Infection forms to drop on top of them, but each course of action was to no avail; the Spartans mowed through the opposition with the ease born of a thousand battles. They progressed through the halls and galleries to the lifts that took them higher into the structure, and finally John threw everything he had in the area at them when they reached the final lift. It didn't slow them down at all, and Fred retrieved the Index from its stasis field, the cylindrical locks sliding open with surprising ease.

Using his magical Gravemind powers of DOOM, the Chief contacted Cortana and alerted her to the Spartans' impending DOOM! – er, _arrival_ in the Control Room, even as he took his unusual mount to the _Autumn_. Dragon-horses were native to the Soraceon System, home-worlds of the Gultanr, slender but deceptively strong, able to carry weights of a ton or more with relative ease. Its body was covered in light but strong scales, and its “mane” and the tufts of hair on the tip of its tail appeared black in certain angles of light but were in fact "Flood green," as the Infected called it. Its feet and tail were not what one would expect for such a beast: its paws were crosses between hands and actual paws to give it a wider spread for balance at high speed, but not so wide as to slow it down. Its tail was long and whip-like, prehensile, and almost entirely bald so it could be cracked like a whip.

Venera often accused them of being "skinny and furless rats" when she saw them.

With so little to work with, its harness and armor were hastily-cobbled-together affairs, but they got the job done, holding him on and keeping his mount's vitals safe. He guided the infected Dragon-horse with his mind, leading it through the scarred halls of the _Autumn_. Though he would have like to do a "reconstruction" of the battles, the Gravemind-Spartan had no time to stop and reminisce on his past with her. The ship's future was to be little more than cosmic dust, and he had to find a method of "exposure" and escape before Blue Team completed the "Final Run." Both were given to him in a very simple manner: a solid piece of titanium-A still on the dorsal side of the _Autumn_ , almost perfectly flat and smooth. It provided the perfect spot for him to stand at the edge and watch Blue Team's approach, simultaneously making sure that they could not miss him, and the space offered a landing pad for one of the Forerunners' transports, though it would have to have its active camouflage on all the time.

Focus already elsewhere as he turned away from watching the approach of the vaguely fish-shaped transport, John swung the Dragon-horse around to face the rolling hills around the ship, mind miles away in Halo's control room, where Cortana was getting ready to confront the Spartans…

The Control Room was empty, but that meant nothing to his magical Gravemind powers of DOOM. He joined Cortana in the actual systems of the ring, "tickling" her briefly after she shifted her subroutines around to give him room.

Neither of them had long to wait; the golden rings of Halo's teleportation network appeared just inside the immense blast doors, dropping Spark and Blue Team onto the bridge. Linda wobbled a little and Sam covered his visor for a second, but the nausea induced by that method of travel had lessened the second time around. Fred gazed at the seemingly-empty holopanel, watching its many parts whirl and spin benignly, and Guilty Spark asked, "Is something the matter?"

It took a moment for the Spartan to realize that the AI was speaking to him. "No, nothing."

"Excellent! Shall we?" The Spartans moved forward slowly behind the AI, who said, "Unfortunately, my usefulness in this particular endeavor has come to an end; main protocol does not allow for units of my classification to perform a task as important as the reunification of the Index with the Core." The AI swiveled around to face them as they came to a stop in front of the holopanel. "That final step is reserved for you, Reclaimers." The Monitor proffered the Index, and Fred took it, scanning the display before inserting it in a likely looking slot.

The device fit perfectly. The display shivered briefly, machinery groaning audibly in the background, and the whole thing shivered as if in response to an electrical relay overload. Spark zoomed closer to look at the holopanel. "Hmm," he said, "that wasn't supposed to happen."

"Oh, _really?_ "

Cortana's brilliant form appeared over the display, standing at about six feet in height, and she seemed more crimson than ever, if that was possible; her hands were planted on her hips, her stance and the speed of the characters racing up her body radiating fury. She made a swipe with her hand, and the Monitor fell out of the air, all systems momentarily offline.

"Cortana–” Fred tried to placate the rampant AI, but she interrupted him.

"I have been cooped up in here for _twelve hours_ watching you toady about helping that thing get set to slit our throats!" She snarled, incensed, "Do you have _any_ idea what that thing almost made you do?"

"Yes," Fred said firmly, "We're activating Halo's defenses to destroy the Flood. That's why we brought the Index to the control center."

"You mean this?" The Index abruptly materialized in her hand.

Spark hummed back online and hovered for a moment over the floor, and in the briefest of instants a whisper reached the Spartans' highly-sensitive ears – "Are you sure I can’t kill him? He's going to hurt Johnson!"

"Not," whispered another voice in reply, a male, "if _I_ have anything to say about it."

"A construct," the Monitor said, finally reorienting himself, "in the Core? That is absolutely unacceptable!"

"Sod off, jackass!"

"What impertinence! I shall purge you at once!" he replied, indignant.

"You sure that's a good idea? I have very big friends, and not just them," she said, waving her hand down and the Spartans before dissolving the Index and adding the data stored within to her memory, secretly shunting off a copy to her partner-in-crime for insurance.

"How dare you!" the Monitor shouted, "I'll-"

"You'll _what_ , exactly? I have the Index, all you can do is float and sputter!"

"Enough!" All four of the Spartans got between the fighting AI, knowing that with a rampant one in the mix the fight could get very nasty, very fast. "The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo's defenses, we can wipe them out."

"This – You have no idea what this place does, do you? Why the Forerunners built it?" She leaned forward, lip curled. "This place may not be a cudgel, but it's not a scalpel either; Halo doesn't kill the Flood, it kills their _food_. Humans, Covenant, whatever. We're all equally edible. A thousand other plans were tried and failed, but the Flood never was a simple infection to be cured and cauterized: the only way to stop it is to _starve_ it to death, and that's what Halo was designed to do. Wipe the galaxy clean of sentient life. If you still don't believe me, then ask _him_." She jabbed an accusing finger at 343 Guilty Spark.

All of the Spartans, still reeling with shock, whirled on the Monitor. Kelly was the first to vocalize. "Is it true?" she said, her voice low and dangerous.

Spark's casing dipped slightly. "Of course. The installation has a maximum effective radius of twenty-five thousand light years, but once the others follow suit, the galaxy will be quite devoid of life, or at least any life with sufficient biomass to sustain the Flood." He made a gesture that seemed to be the AI equivalent of cocking one's head in confusion. "But you already knew this. I mean, how _couldn't_ you?"

"Left out that little detail, did he," Cortana hissed from behind them.

"We followed outbreak containment procedure to the letter," Spark said, getting defensive, "You were with me every step of the way."

"I'm picking up movement – "

"Why would you hesitate to do what you have already done?"

"We need to go right now!"

"Last time you asked me, if it were my choice, would I activate the rings?" A flock of Sentinels formed up behind him. "Having had considerable time to ponder the query, my answer has not changed. The ring must be activated."

"Get. Us. Out. Of. Here."

"If you are unwilling to help, I will simply find another. Still, I must have the Index. Give your construct to me, or I will be forced to take her from you."

"That's not going to happen," Fred growled, leveling his weapon at the nearest Sentinel as the other Spartans did the same.

"So be it," Spark said wearily. Then, to the Sentinels, "Save his head. Dispose of the rest."

The glass edging around the control panel provided excellent cover from the Sentinel's beams; for all of the UNSC's advancements in technology, the beams could still cook the Spartans inside their armor, a fate none of them were looking forward to. Having transmitted herself back in, Cortana was safely stored inside Fred's helmet, and the Spartans were gunning down the floating death rays as fast as possible, rationalizing the waste of ammo: the munitions would do them no good if they were dead. Fortunately for them, they only had to take out three of them apiece, so the battle was over rather quickly. As they sprinted for the blast door, Fred said to Cortana, "I assume you have a plan?"

"Quite," the AI replied, "The only way to permanently stop Halo is to destroy it, but according to my analysis the best course of action is somewhat – risky."

"Translation…?"

"We're going to need Red and Green Teams to help out on the later stages; they'll help us find Yellow Team and Captain Keyes, but I'll get to that later. For now, you need to know that an explosion of sufficient size should destabilize the ring and cut through a number of primary systems. This explosion has to be done on a large scale however – and a starship's fusion reactor going critical should do the job. I'm going to search what's left of the Covenant battle net for the _Pillar of Autumn_ ; I received a transmission some time ago saying that they'd secured it, but the coordinates I'm, still working on."

"Are the fusion reactors still intact?" Linda asked as they sat back and watched Sentinels and Covenant kill each other in the stretch of hall immediately beyond the Control Room.

"Trust me, you'd know if they weren't." The AI receded to a dim presence inside Fred's mind as they advanced through the bodies left behind, gunning down the few unfortunates that made it out alive. They rounded the corner and headed toward the final blast door, their motion trackers picking up enemies just beyond the barrier. When the door was open, it was revealed that there were in fact guards, but all of them had their backs turned to the gate. Beyond them, night had fallen, but it was still snowing out in the greater darkness, muffling the sounds of any further enemies. The Spartans took them out silently, and crouched behind the large tower that blocked the door from view by the outside.

Cortana spoke again. "I haven't found the crash site yet, but we need to buy some time. The machines in these canyons are Halo's primary firing mechanisms; they consist of three phase pulse generators that allow it to fire deep into space by amplifying its signal. If we damage or destroy these generators, the Monitor will have to repair them before Halo can be used. I'm marking the location of the nearest generator with a nav point; we'll need to move in and neutralize the device."

An orange arrow and a distance marker appeared on their HUDs, and Kelly edged to one side of the tower, peering up at the ledge jutting from the cliff wall and just making out a door set into the rock. The Spartans nodded and proceeded down to the next level, managing to take out all of the Grunts sleeping there before the Elite noticed that they were dead. It was a simple matter for Kelly to bait the enemy soldier, enabling Linda to take him out from behind, and the sniper proceeded out onto the thin strip of metal between the pyramid and the spine running down to its base. The brilliant lights on either side of it prevented the enemy from seeing her, and she cleared the way on both sides for her brothers and sister. Though she could do nothing about the Grunts concealing themselves somewhere below her, they were no trouble for the other Spartans, and she joined them on the lowest level after a sniping spree, managing to take care of some of the enemies on the snow below.

There were only two Banshees, so unless a miracle happened the remaining Spartans would be sitting ducks against any foes that decided to show up. Sam spotted a rocket launcher on the far end of the bottom ledge and claimed it, slipping his way down one side of the slope to fire on the Wraith tank lurking in the shadows. The explosions gave the others the cover they needed to gun down the remaining aliens, and they put their heads together to decide who would go and who would head up onto the bridge to wait for the others. Fred was already going; they might need Cortana up there, but he told Linda and Sam to stay behind, Sam because he could get the pair up onto the bridge and Linda because she could clear the opposite doorway with her sniper rifle.

True to their name, the Banshees made soft howling noises as he headed up to the ledge with Kelly, and they were very careful to scan the platform before landing; it probably saved their lives. An Elite and its clutch of Grunts charged from the hatch just before they came in to land, and Fred veered out of the way as Kelly bombarded their position with balls of superheated plasma. The Grunts screamed and died, and the Elite dodged around for a while before Fred got him. There were no other foes between them and the generator, which set the pair of them on edge. "Okay, we're here," the Senior Chief grunted, "Now what?"

"We need to interrupt the pulse generator's energy stream," the AI replied, back in the present for the moment, "I have adjusted your shield system so that it will deliver an EMP burst of sufficient magnitude… oh, and you'll need to walk into the beam to trigger it."

"Roge – wait, what?"

"You'll need to walk into the beam to trigger it," she dutifully repeated, "The EMP blast should neutralize the generator – though I would highly advise that Kelly goes to stand by the door so it doesn't short out her armor temporarily."

As the speed demon went to do just that, Fred demanded, " _Should?_ Whose side are you on?"

"Yours. We're in this together, remember?" The AI sounded slightly sullen.

"Yeah," he grunted, turning to face the generator, "but you're not the one with the scars to prove it."

'I will be soon enough,' the construct thought, remembering her stint on _High Charity_ , but she remained silent as he eyed the machine, its glow so bright that his visor automatically polarized when he got closer. Finally, he stepped into the brilliant white beam and almost toppled out when what sounded like an explosion shook the floor. The Spartan hurried to disengage, hearing the rat-tat-tat of assault rifle fire and knowing that Kelly was under attack; she was skillfully holding her own against the handful of Sentinels that the Monitor sent to suppress them, and Fred brought down one that was sneaking up on her from behind. After the demise of the floating annoyances, they emerged onto the platform and reclaimed their Banshees, taking off and heading down towards the furious firefight taking place on the bridge below.

A handful of plasma bombs took care of that problem, and the two airborne Spartans landed on the bridge with the other two. "Okay, let's move out," Cortana said into their headsets, "As we get closer, I'll mark the location of the next generator with a nav point."

Inside the rock wall, heading back out the way they came in, the Covenant and the Flood were really getting into it. 'This is going to be a long night,' all of them thought simultaneously.

* * *

"Sir?"

"Don't call me that."

"Um, yes. Do you think that the _FireRain_ or the _MoonBlade_ should head to Substance? You know, to give us a head start on the second stage of the Halo Campaign?"

"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. Good work, Cenanto." [Any volunteers?]

Amidst the shouting and jockeying for positions inside John's mindscape, Cortana pinged them through their COM links, and instantly it was dead silent. The Spartan picked up. "Hello, you have reached the answering machine of [ROGUE PROCESS x.X.x ghost117]. Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling, and I'll get back to you soon. If you are a telemarketer and magically managed to find this number, start talking now and hang up at the beep. If you are my lovely AI, please hold until the message is finished and start ranting after the beep. If you are in the UNSC hierarchy and have a rank that is admiral, the equivalent in the other branches, or higher, TOO BAD! I'm not taking any calls from you until after the Battle of Installation Zero-Zero! Thank you. BEEP."

_"John, you jackass."_

"And how are you on this fine evening, Cortana?"

_"Fantastic. I'm leading Blue Team through the destruction of the phase pulse generators, and I thought you'd like to know so you could start evac-ing your people."_

"Thank you. I already have a million volunteers to head to Substance and get started on Zero-Five's campaign. You know, adding the decorations and painting the walls with blood… that kind of thing."

_"How's Keyes?"_

"Fine. He's with the others and Yellow Team on the bridge of the _Truth and Reconciliation_."

_"Great. I'll need to coordinate with you later."_

"On what?"

_"On how we're supposed to tell the difference between your Flood and the enemy Gravemind's Flood in non-combat situations."_

"Oh. Umm…"

* * *

_It's hiding in the dark, it's teeth are razor sharp_  
_There's no escape for me, it wants my soul, it wants my heart_  
_No one can hear me scream, maybe it's just a dream_  
_Maybe it's inside of me, stop this monster_

-"Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	7. Six: Two Betrayals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Gears of War… Just kidding; it's only Halo.

Whilst the Infected were busy running around like chickens with their heads cut off and panicking about being shot on Zero-Five, the Spartans had successfully made their way to the second canyon and were hovering just inside the door, waiting for Cortana to give them the "all clear." She had picked up enemy movement outside the hatch, and they had decided to wait to try and get some distance between them and whatever foe was on the other side, a plan that was working out so far. Finally, they proceeded through and found themselves on the bridge spanning the gulf between two rock walls, and their motion trackers went haywire, showing a multitude of enemy dots on either of the two bridges. The Covenant were holding the one that they were now on but the Flood controlled the other, and there was a wild firefight going on, led by the gold Field Marshal Elite on their side.

The Spartans held position behind the metal barrier just outside the door and listened to the sounds of battle, waiting for the aliens to eliminate as many of each other as they could, which took a surprisingly short amount of time. When the noises of shots fired died down to a minimum, they emerged and picked off the stragglers, resenting it immensely when the Flood on the opposite bridge leaped over to attack them, as two of them managed to land directly on top of Linda and Kelly. That made Cortana start laughing as the pair beat down the combat forms and tried to wipe off the Flood slime now firmly attached to their armor, their faces disgusted behind their visors.

"O-oh-okay," the construct said, finally getting calmed down as they entered the opposite hatch, "let's keep going – mpht!" She sounded like she was smothering a snort when the two female Spartans came into view of Fred's helmet cam, and thus the AI. They gunned down the Flood waiting for them inside, swept the room for ammo, and listened to the two Elites fighting the Flood on the far side of the room, waiting for one of the sides to obliterate the other. The foursome tore around the corner when there was only a single Elite left and beat him down, and Sam took the rocket launcher that one of the combat forms had been wielding, noting that the heavy weapon hadn't seemed to have done it any good against the Elite. The next room was a simple matter to clear out, as well, and Cortana said, "I'm going to contact Alpha Base, have Red and Green Teams ready for our arrival."

"Roger," Fred grunted as they emerged onto the opposite bridge. There were quite a few Flood hanging out there, and somewhere down range, someone was taking potshots at the two Elites in the Banshees, who were doing strafing runs on the bridge. They patiently waited – again – and the combat forms took care of the Banshees for them. Sam collected their ammo for his own rocket launcher, and they proceeded through the next room and down the lift relatively unhindered. When they appeared at the base of the cliff, a nearby Elite and its Grunt began firing on them, but they were quickly taken out, as was the Ghost that assaulted them from the right and the Banshee from above. The Spartans sped through the next canyon, following Cortana's nav point and adding a Wraith, a pair of Shades, and a small army of Grunts and Jackals to their "confirmed kills" list.

After making their way back down through the tunnel from before, they took out the Jackals guarding the area, and Kelly made the trek back to claim on of the undamaged Ghosts while the other three waited for her in the overturned Warthog they found at the base of the slope. The now-speedier Spartans tore up the slope and mowed down the Grunts and Jackals at the top, sending those they missed spinning back down to the ice-covered riverbed below when the aliens lunged off the cliff to evade the vehicles. They spotted two more Banshees on the ground to the left of the enormous plateau jutting up from the center of the canyon, but they chose to circle around to the right, taking out the Hunters there as they did so. It also gave them a golden opportunity to take out the Wraith lurking next to the entrance to the underground section, and they followed NASCAR's trend of turning left, coming up on the Elites guarding the Banshees from behind.

This time it was Linda who came up with Fred; there were bound to be enemies on top of the plateau, and her incredible accuracy was essential for clearing them out. They bombed the hell out of the Field Marshal Elite and his companions on the platform leading to the next generator and disembarked, sweeping the area a second time just to make sure. Linda switched out her sniper rifle for her shotgun and followed Fred inside, standing guard by the door while he sprinted for the energy stream. The explosion shook the ground again, making him reel within the beam, but he tore himself free of the suction and sprinted to assist Linda against the Flood that burst into the room. Their shotguns tore huge holes in the enemy ranks –

" ** _Goddamnit! That fucking hurts, you lot!"_**

-And they swiftly made their way out onto the platform again, their Banshees enabling them to swoop down on the Flood engaging their comrades and strafe the hell out of them. The aerial and ground vehicles ducked into the slowly sloping tunnel leading down into the cliff face and hovered just inside the entrance, watching as the Flood overtook a group of Covenant, complete with Shade turret. At that moment, Cortana piped up, "I've located the _Pillar of Autumn._ She put down twelve hundred kilometers up-spin, and energy readings show that her reactors are still powered up. However, the systems on the _Autumn_ have fail-safes on them that even I can't override without authorization from the Captain. Let's take care of the final pulse generator, then go and collect Red and Green Teams before we go looking for him."

All four of the Spartans flashed an acknowledgement at her and proceeded down through the tunnel, gunning down the Flood survivors, narrowly avoiding the rockets that whizzed past them from further inside. The LAAG on the Warthog pumped the combat forms full of lead as the vehicle raced past, and Sam stopped briefly so Kelly could gather up the ammo and dump it into the passenger seat. All three of the vehicles then swerved around the corner and came to a stop outside a large blast door, which Sam moved to open with the Banshees circling as best they could in the confined space.

However, something on the other side exploded, damaging the door panels as they slid open, and it looked as though nothing wider than the Warthog could get through, royally screwing the Banshees. Linda hopped into the passenger seat, shoving the rocket reloads out of the way, and Fred carefully settled between the front seats and the turret, trying not to fall off when the vehicle accelerated through the gap. Miraculously, they made it through the cavern and up the reverse slope without losing anyone, and Cortana flicked up another nav point over the final pulse generator. It was somewhere in front of them and high above, and there were no Banshees in sight, meaning that they would have to proceed onward a little to find them. There were Covenant and Flood doing battle below the platform, and for a long minute or two, the Spartans sat and watched, observing both the Flood and the Covenant for patterns in their battle strategies.

In the end, the two groups killed one another off, and Fred slid from the Warthog to claim one of the Ghosts sitting stationary nearby. The cavern that they had passed though earlier had collapsed, so they circled around to the gap in the wall, pausing when they heard the sounds of battle once again. There were some Flood with rocket launchers running around, based on the occasional _bawhoosh_ followed by an explosion; if this held up, they'd have enough launchers and ammo for each of them to have one. The sounds died down after a few moments, and they arrived to find that the Flood was the victor. Not for long, of course; the combat forms roared and died under the hail of bullets and plasma. Linda picked up some reloads for her sniper rifle when they passed a Flood munitions stash, and then continued onward into the next canyon, where _four_ Banshees mercifully waited.

The Flood was in that section of canyon, too, and amidst the chaos it caused, Sam launched two rockets at the visible Wraith patrolling the far side of the canyon. Both impacted, and the tank belched black smoke into the night sky. A second one emerged from behind a rock outcropping and began launching plasma bombs at the collection of combat forms gathered on a snowy ridge, but they scattered at the last second. A handful had rocket launchers and used them to great effect on the tank; however, they were not counting on the Spartans coming up from behind and running them down. The Warthog and the Ghost took turns on either side of the canyon, the moving targets making it almost impossible to get a proper bead on them, and the Hunters that appeared from behind the immense rock at the back of the canyon disappeared in a small storm of bullets, rockets, and plasma balls.

It was a _very_ tight fit for all of the Banshees on the platform, but they managed and headed inside after blowing the Sentinels guarding the place out of the sky. There were more of the bastards inside, but a few plasma grenades and coordinated fire took them out, too. From there, Fred stepped into the energy beam of the final generator and managed to keep his feet when the ground shook, and they gathered together in a brief conference of war when he tugged himself free of the slight suction. "Let's find a ride and get to the Captain," the Senior Chief stated, already preparing to leave, but Cortana interrupted him.

"No, that'll take too long."

"You have a better idea?"

"I learned how to tap into Halo's teleportation network while I was in the Control Room, but each jump requires a substantial expenditure of energy that I _think_ I can take from your armor without permanently damaging your shields. I've worked out a way to make it so that each person's armor provides the energy for their own jump."

"Mm…" He didn't sound happy at all, but it was a faster way to get to Alpha Base and Red and Green Teams before continuing on to the _Truth and Reconciliation_. "All right, do it."

After a brief hum split the silence, the golden rings of Halo's teleportation appeared around their bodies, and they were gone.

* * *

"Tell everybody I'm on my way;  
New friends and new places to see!  
With blue skies ahead, yes, I'm on my way,  
And there's nowhere else I'd rather be!"

" _Venera…_ "

"Tell everybody I'm on my way,  
And I'm loving every step I take  
With the sun beating down, yes I'm on my way  
And I can't keep this smile off my face!"

"VENERA!"

"Yes?"

"Please stop singing."

"Sorry, sir."

"And don't call me that. If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred thousand times."

* * *

The group appeared in a miraculously open space on the rock plateau, and though they were not surprised to find weapons leveled at them, it still caused the hairs on the backs of their necks to stand on end. All four of them were hauled off for the shortest debriefing possible, which still took almost half an hour, and then the three Spartan teams were off, teleported by Cortana to the _Truth and Reconciliation_. Though she knew about the necessary adjustments that needed to be made, she let the Spartans appear upside down both to hide her prior knowledge of Halo and for her own amusement. The Spartans crashed to the deck in a heap, and she snorted. "Oops. It looks like the coordinates – "

Fred slapped his helmet, and she obligingly shut up, though her snickering continued in the background. "What's the status of the ship?" he grunted at her as the three teams moved down the hall, sweeping every alcove they came across.

"Oh, so _now_ you want me to talk? Hmph. Typical man.

"The Covenant network is in absolute chaos. Their HIGHCOM ordered _everyone_ to abandon Halo when they found the Flood, but they were too late. The Parasite overwhelmed this cruiser, and the Covenant are terrified that they'll repair it and use it to escape. They sent a strike team to neutralize the Flood and prepare the ship for immediate departure." The AI shuffled something around inside his head, whispering something that sounded like, "Wow, two Spartans and an AI in one suit of armor."

[I was bored,] John grunted as he trickled in through Fred's COM system, [And you lot were taking too long. Besides, if I'm going to throw combat forms at them, it's easier to see through their helmet cams rather than the Flood's nonexistent eyes.]

Cortana chuckled as she shifted aside to give him room in the limited MJOLNIR's systems. 'I gathered that. How are the Infected?'

[Your comment has them spooked,] he said as the Spartans headed through an unlocked door in front of them and beheld an armless combat form chasing a Grunt, [They know how dangerous Spartans are because of my memories, but now that they might be on the business end of that level of lethality, they're terrified. Most of them are in the Basis space dock, and those that aren't, are as far away from Alpha Base as it is physically possible to get without leaving the ring. I've sent transports to them; they're evacking now in preparation for the _Autumn_ 's fireworks.]

'Ah.'

The three teams mowed through the foes between them and the next room – and found themselves on the verge of overbalancing and toppling through an immense hole in the floor of the docking bay. Kelly almost fell through, but Fhajad grabbed her by the back-plating and hauled her away from the gap. However, it looked like they didn't have much of a choice; the Flood was closing in on them from behind, dropping from a maintenance hatchway in the ceiling, so one by one, they jumped into the open air, freefalling into the thick coolant below. When they emerged from the glutinous substance, they were met with the sight of some combat forms just standing around, kind of watching them, some dead Covenant strewn about on the ground.

'John!'

[Oh, right.]

The combat forms instantly turned hostile, throwing themselves at the Spartans and firing wildly with their plasma and assault rifles – [A-salt with a deadly weapon,] the Chief commented, his voice clearly bored – but the Flood vanished in sprays of green blood when the human warriors returned fire. It was almost insultingly easy for the twelve Spartans to weave through the various canyons and trudge through pools of coolant collecting below the ship, unaware of the hitchhiker concealed inside Fred's armor. There was a pair of Hunters between them and the gravity lift leading back into the ship, but ammo was precious; they chose to let the carrier forms waddling about take care of them and the Elites further up. The lift itself was not as well-guarded as they had expected, but that might have had something to do with the fact that there were six or seven Flood mobbing the Covenant's tiny defense force, consisting of a single Elite and two Grunts when the armored humans showed up.

'How's Keyes?'

[Sleeping. Yellow Team's on watch. I've got about sixteen or seventeen forms guarding them, but this group should mow through them no problem.]

The Flood decimated the Covenant and were in turn annihilated by the Spartans when they galloped by on their way to the lift. The warriors were plucked from the rock outcropping and deposited in another cargo bay of some kind, and headed out of it through an open door, weaving through a short series of halls with carrier forms in them. The things' popping spewed Infection forms everywhere, and though there was a near miss with Grace-093, Fred stepped on the pod before it could renew its assault.

[Ooh, so close.]

'Bad Spartan, BAD! No infecting the others!'

[Right. Dammit.]

'Having problems?'

[Kind of. Sometimes I just get carried away.]

A door slid open and admitted the Spartans into another cargo bay, combat and carrier forms wandering about below, and after carefully measuring the distance and gunning down the Flood, the warriors leapt one by one onto a Wraith and then down onto the room's floor, using the short cut that Cortana suggested to save time. A side door opened and spilled more infected Covenant into the room, but the humans had already disappeared down another hall. They moved through the corridors, letting the Covenant and the Flood wear each other out when they came across the groups fighting, and eventually they reached another shuttle bay. Once again, the two alien races were duking it out, but there was not enough room for all of them to hide without being spotted; trusting the races to destroy one another, they tore by unnoticed and entered a hall of the far side of the bay.

For the umpteenth time that night, they ran across the Covenant strike team attempting to eliminate the Flood and said, "Fuck it," charging through the enemy lines and gunning down everything that shot at them. This worked to great effect, getting them up onto the third level of the bay and through the halls leading to the bridge, where Cortana said that Keyes was being held. Flood charged in swarms through the door leading to the bridge, and they could hear the delighted cries of the Marines imprisoned within. A few grenades cleared with the enemies, and they entered the bridge, utterly surprised to see everyone from the storage facility alive and well if a little worse for wear. Jenkins was missing his helmet.

"But… we thought…"

"I know," Keyes interjected, clambering to his feet, "We thought we were goners, too, but those things – the Flood? – brought us here, where we met their leader, I guess.'"

"Their leader?"

"We suspect so – they obeyed his orders – but he disappeared." Keyes coughed a little, and flecks of blood appeared on his hand. "Why did you come?"

The Spartans explained the plan as Cortana called Foehammer to come and pick the Marines and the Captain up in the shuttle bay; all she needed was the codes that the Captain readily gave, saying, "If the _Autumn_ 's going to be destroyed, it's no use keeping them a secret." They made their way back through the halls, and John trickled out of Fred's armor without saying a word, already on his way back to the human ship.

A Spirit dropship had arrived on the _Truth and Reconciliation_ , along with a pair of Banshee escorts, and though the ordinary soldiers longed to come with them, everyone knew they were in no condition to go gallivanting about detonating reactors. The now four teams of Spartans staved off assaults from the Flood and the Covenant until Foehammer arrived, bearing a relay point to Alpha Base. The Major there and Keyes quickly conferred with Cortana, determining that the best course of action was to commandeer as many dropships as possible to evac their people from the ring; it was clear that the Covenant ship they were on was going nowhere fast, and they needed out before 2553 came a-calling. Two of Yellow Team took the Banshees to cover the bay entrance while the Marines and other escaped Spartans piled into Foehammer's Pelican, leaving the Spirit for Blue and Red Teams; there was not enough room for Green Team to join them, so they took over a "conveniently" arriving, Flood filled Pelican that had obviously crashed and been subsequently repaired.

* * *

"Okay, Venera, Kenera, _now_ you can sing."

"YAY!" They slung their arms around each other’s shoulders and burst into song, utterly delighted.

"Tell everybody I'm on my way,  
New friends and new places to see.  
With blue skies ahead, yes, I'm on my way  
And there's nowhere else I'd rather be.

Tell everybody I'm on my way,  
And I'm loving every step I take  
With the sun beating down, yes, I'm on my way,  
And I can't keep this smile off my face.

Cause there's nothing like seeing each other again,  
No matter what the distance between.  
And the stories we tell, will make you smile  
Oh, it really lifts my heart.

So tell 'em I'm on my way,  
New friends and new places to see,  
And to sleep under the stars and could ask for more  
With the moon keeping watch over me.

Not the snow nor the rain, can change my mind.  
The sun will come out, wait and see,  
And the feeling of the wind in your face can lift your heart.  
Oh... there's nowhere I'd rather be!

Cause I'm on my way now  
Well and truely.  
I'm my way there,  
I'm on my way now,  
I'm on my way now,  
I'm on my way now,  
I'm on my way now.

Tell everybody I'm on my way.  
I just can't wait to be there,  
With blue skies ahead, yes, I'm on my way,  
And nothing but good times to share.

So tell everybody I'm on my way,  
And I just can't wait to be home.  
With the sun beating down, yes, I'm on my way,  
And nothing but good times to show.

I'm on my way, Yes, I'm on my way!"

"Nice to see we've gone from professional soldiers to Disney cast members." John scratched an immaculate spot on his armor.

"Oh, shove it. Sir."

The Master Chief distinctly growled at the last word, and Venera and Kenera sprinted around to the other side of the invisible fish-shaped transport, laughing as they did so. The mood of the Infected was distinctly lighter, so the crazy twosome had served their purpose, which was the only reason John put up with their antics: they had the almost supernatural ability to make _anyone_ happy, even him, and they did their job extremely well. It was no wonder that they had come so highly recommended by the Didact himself.

* * *

The flight was uneventful, but their arrival at the _Autumn_ brought an unexpected and unwelcome surprise: the camouflaged figure that had met Keyes on the _Truth_ was already there. It was sitting astride a large four-legged, wingless dragon-being that was standing on the very edge of the ship's dorsal structure, and it was very clearly watching their approach, though they could see nothing of it because of its active camo, no discernable characteristics. Its cloaking, they realized abruptly, reminded them of the dream that they had had while in cryosleep, where a figure concealed in the same manner had approached them and called them family.

"This is gonna be a long day."

* * *

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin_  
I must confess that I feel like a monster  
I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun  
I must confess that I feel like a monster

\- "Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	8. Seven: The Maw (Light Fuse, Run Away)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, remember when Lord Hood used to be in this fanfic? Neither do I!

Because the Spartans were in a dropship and not a Banshee, they had to be very careful when they unloaded themselves into the same escape pod dock that John had gone into in the Origin. However, Cortana obliged them this once by taking control of the ship and holding it in place, then reprogramming the autopilot so the thing would buzz off to Alpha Base. "We need to get to the bridge," the AI said as the dropship zoomed away, "From there, we can use the codes to initiate a detonation of the ship's fusion engines." Then, her voice filled with sarcasm, "I hope we'll be able to destroy it this way; I don't have a backup plan."

The Spartans ignored her, moving the only direction they could through the burned out halls: left. That, in turn, forced them to move through the _Autumn_ 's maintenance access ways when a scorched blast door blocked their path. Moving single file through a very small and dimly lit passageway was not their idea of a safe combat zone, but since when has any combat zone been safe? Infection pods boiled up out of the floor, climbing a ladder through one of the hatchways in the ceiling of the floor below, and Kelly managed to angle her plasma rifle up and around Fred to help him pop them. The latter of the two tossed a grenade down the hole to clear away the others that they could see skittering around at the base of the ladder, and they all heard the _POW_ that indicated the presence of carrier forms, as well as the hissing of the Sentinels' lasers. When it all went silent, they dropped down to the lower level and took cover behind the support beams, their assault rifles rattling as they fired on the floating toasters, which exploded and clanged to the floor. They charged past the slag and went around a curve –

Where more infection pods darted in though one of the open lifeboat hatches and swarmed their ankles, furiously attacking the plates protecting their legs. The Spartans decided not to waste ammo and stamped them to death before continuing on to a locked hatch.

"Dammit."

All of the Spartans backed up, and Kelly and Linda primed grenades for when the door broke open.

_BAM!_

The hatch's locks snapped, letting the combat forms spill into the much large hall, and the rest of Blue Team opened fire on the nearest ones, the two females' grenades sailing toward the back and blowing the others to hell. They let fly a frag around the corner to kill the ones their motion trackers picked up, and headed though the hall, though they stopped dead when they heard the growl of the Hunters beyond. That made them pause, and they could hear the tell-tale howls of the Flood as they engaged the beasts. After a brief conversation over their COM, Kelly crept into the larger hall to scope out the situation. There were Flood clogging the hatches to the mess hall, and based on the occasional green glow and "WORT, WORT, WORT!" the Covenant were inside.

A pair of frags took care of the Flood, and Linda's quick trigger finger dealt with the Hunters, who were spinning around whilst trying to get rid of the Infection pods clinging to their feet. They charged in after the Elites and their Grunt minions, and when the fuel rod guns some of the Grunts were carrying exploded, they took plenty of the Covenant with them. Unfortunately, two more Elites and a handful of the Unggoy tore out of one of the side passages, but these were also taken care of with some plasma grenades. The subsequent explosions by the fuel rod guns took out more of their foes than expected and enabled them to more on through the hatch, the opening for the bridge off to their left.

There was yet another squad of Covenant SpecOps on the actual bridge itself, but the eight Spartans were more than a match for them and approached the main console when the last body hit the ground. Fred slotted the AI inside the holoprojector next to the main view screen, and she shimmered into view, form as crimson as ever. "I leave home for a few days, and look what happens," she muttered, crossing her arms and shaking her head, "This won't take long." She touched a finger to her temple, then continued, "There." A twenty-minute timer flashed up on the screen. "That should give us enough time to get to a lifeboat and put some distance between ourselves and Halo." Fred reached for her chip –

"I'm afraid that's out of the question, really," 343 Guilty Spark said over the ship's PA system.

"Oh, fuck off," the AI snapped.

"Ridiculous," the Monitor continued as if he had not heard her, "That you would imbue a warship's AI with such a wealth of knowledge! Weren't you worried it might be captured? Or destroyed?"

Cortana had tracked him down; "He's in my data arrays," she growled, "A local tap."

"You can't imagine how exciting this is!" Spark said, "Having a record of all our lost time. Human history, is it? Fascinating." He zoomed about in Engineering, continuing, "I will enjoy every moment of its categorization! To think that you would destroy this Installation, as well as this record? I _am_ shocked. Almost too shocked for words."

[Shut up then.]

'Be quiet.'

On the bridge, the countdown came to a sudden halt with a little over nineteen minutes to go. Cortana's voice was incredulous. "He stopped the self-destruct sequence."

"Why do you continue to fight us, Reclaimer?" The Monitor sounded like he was berating a disobedient child. "You cannot win! Give us the construct, and I will endeavor to make your death at least relatively painless and-"

Spark's voice cut off mid-sentence, and the UNSC AI smirked. "At least I still have control over the COM channels."

"Where is he?" Fred demanded of her.

"You could say please. I'm detecting taps throughout the ship, Sentinels most likely; the Monitor… he's in Engineering. He must be trying to take the core offline; even if I could get the countdown restarted… I don't know what to do."

"How much firepower would you need to crack one of the engines' shields?" Grace, the explosives expert, asked her.

"Not much. A well-placed grenade, perhaps, but why-"

She turned to see Grace tossing a grenade with one hand and resting the other on the rocket launcher that Sam still had, and the AI's eyes widened. "Okay," she declared, "I'm coming with you."

Once again, Fred reached to pull out her cartridge, and Cortana cried a warning as Sentinels appeared at the bridge's bay windows. Fred tugged her from the console and ducked below the barrier, letting the other Spartans take care of the problem while he put her chip back into the slot in his helmet. All of the toasters were gone when he reemerged, and the eight humans headed back out into the hall as Cortana said, "Head to the cryo chamber. We should be able to reach the engine room through there."

The door that they had come through was sealed, and they couldn't run through the solid wall to their right, so the group turned left and headed past one of the support beams, coming across a sealed hatch that promptly burst open and spilled Flood into the hall. The Spartans' shotguns and assault rifles tore holes in their bodies and the titanium A of the walls behind them, and once the area was clear, they found themselves in a small scale armory and quickly scavenged for ammo. They were about to head through the far door when a low grunt alerted them to the presence of a Hunter pair on the other side, and they saw a handful of combat forms go skipping by through the fiberglass panels of the door.

Literally skipping.

Cortana started laughing, and the Spartans all looked at one another, each having an identical expression on their faces behind their visors.

What the fuck…?

While they were busy trying to figure out if they really saw what they thought they'd seen, the Hunters and the Elite with them had come under fire and were returning fire on the Parasite. A plasma bomb from one of the Hunters was sufficient to take care of the lot but also set off a chain reaction with the grenades on their persons, killing one of the armored worm colonies. The other roared in loss, and the human warriors took that opportunity to charge from their hiding place and pitch a few plasma grenades at the Hunter's turned back, the subsequent explosions killing it instantly and sending it flying to crush the Elite with its immense weight. Sam shot the Sangheili between the eyes, and they moved on down the next stretch of hall, where they came across some Infection Forms attempting to tango with four Sentinels. Though the little bugs were doing a surprisingly good job, their hopes of winning first place in a dance contest were not to be, as the Sentinels zapped them to bits, and then the Spartans took _them_ out.

[Aw, man! I was gonna take them on _So You Think You Can Dance?_ , you jerks!]

Cortana snorted as the humans ducked under a half-raised hatch and gunned down the two Sentinels waiting for them in the next hall, passing through the door just beyond them. The arrow on the floor said "Cryo B," so they must have been in the right place; the Flood and the Sentinels were having a battle royale in the far corner of the room, and no one took any notice of them when they slipped past up the ladder and onto the second floor. There, an Infected Elite and human took exception to their presence and fired wildly in their direction, but they and the Sentinels that were hovering in a glass hall in the center of the room were annihilated with a couple of shotguns-to-the-face. They pressed on into the next hall, where the Flood came at them in droves and Sam found reloads for his rocket launcher. By taking out the carrier forms first, the explosions and grenade detonations they caused wiped out a lot of the combat forms charging at them, enabling the Spartans to pass mostly unhindered.

The main passages beyond were blocked with debris, forcing the Spartans into another maintenance access way, where they encountered a Grunt being chased by a dozen Infection Forms. They let the Flood take care of it and continued on to the next hall, where the Covenant and the Sentinels were attacking one another as if there was no tomorrow. Which there wouldn't be, or at least not for them. Red Team came out and faced the Sentinels, and with Blue Team facing the Covenant, they blew the hell out of everything in sight, high-tailing it out of there before the Flood spotted them (they had just come bursting out of a hatch at the opposite end of the hall).

"We should head to the armory first; stock up on ammo," the construct suggested to the warriors, and they did so, following the arrows on the floor. There was a wealth of munitions just lying around, having fallen from its racks when the ship crashed, but something made Fred raise his head from reloading his shotgun. Instinct prickled at his spine and made the hairs on his neck stand on end, and the low hiss of a hatch sliding open made him pause. None of the Spartans were close enough to one to have made it open, but it had, at the very back of the armory. He fired at a slight heat distortion in the air, and a Flood combat form staggered and died, letting him spin to take out the other. That made them quicken their departure from the armory; now each of them was carrying a rocket launcher and either an assault rifle or a shotgun.

"Okay, here's the plan," Fred told them when they paused in the hall just outside engineering, "We're splitting up into teams of two, and each team is going after one of the reactor shields. Grace, Linda, Douglas, and Alice, you're handling the rockets; the rest of us will expose the shields and cover you. When we're done, we'll regroup on the third floor; Cortana says that there's a service lift that can take us out into one of the hangars, when Foehammer can pick us up."

The others nodded in acknowledgement, and they proceeded inside, splitting up to deal with their fusion reactor. The foursome in charge of the rockets remained on the second floor to enable a faster dealing with it, while the other four quickly made their way up to the top floor, blowing Sentinels out of the air and sending the Flood back to hell where they belonged. Whatever controlled the latter seemed almost desperate to stop them; it was throwing everything it had at them, Elites and humans and carrier forms.

Not that John was, of course. He just didn't want to have to haul _all_ the combat forms _all_ the way to Delta Halo when they decayed and stunk worse than rotting fish, and the carrier forms popped every five seconds. The infection forms were fine; they were already boxed up in one of the cargo holds on the _MoonBlade_ , which was en route to Installation Zero-Five.

Cortana swiftly walked them through the process of opening the exhaust couplings leading to the primary fusion drive shaft, and the couplings pulled back almost as one, letting the four Spartans on the third level turn their weapons on the Flood and Sentinels, ignoring the random statements of the Monitor in the background. The four with the rocket leapt up onto their respective couplings, steadying themselves when the immense conduits began to retract, exposing the shafts that were their targets. It may have taken a couple of tries, but all of them got at least one rocket into the core, causing the openings to explode with equal force. The couplings contracted automatically, returning to their closed state, but it was too late; the Spartans leapt up onto the third floor and tore off in the direction of the elevator, vaguely hearing Cortana shout, "We've got fifteen minutes; GO, GO, GO!" amidst the explosions now taking place as the reactors send out surges of power, blowing out various systems with the increased voltage.

The door leading to the lift was locked but exploded outward when the last of the Spartans rounded the corner; the lift was somewhere above them but they could hear it descending. "Back up; Covenant!" Cortana called, and Linda and Grace sprinted to the fore of their pack, rocket launchers still on their shoulders, simultaneously firing when the lift dropped into view, bearing an Elite and its clutch of Grunts. The aliens screamed and died in the ensuing explosions, leaving the Spartans free to claim the lift. After the fiberglass doors slid shut but were blown out by another explosion, Fred mashed a button, and instantly the eight fighters were rushing upwards, staying well clear of the edges.

"Cortana to Echo Four-Nineteen, come in Echo Four-Nineteen," the AI cried over the COM link, sounding surprisingly desperate on the line.

 _"Roger, Cortana,"_ Foehammer replied, _“I read you, five-by-five."_

"The _Pillar of Autumn_ 's engines are going critical, Foehammer; request immediate extraction. Approach the crash site and be ready to pick us up at external access junction 4-C as soon as you get my signal."

_"Affirmative, Echo Four-Nineteen going on station."_

The explosions shaking the _Autumn_ abruptly increased in frequency and intensity, and Foehammer was back on the radio a moment later.

_"Echo Four-Nineteen to Cortana, things are getting noisy down there; everything okay?"_

"Negative, negative," the AI called as the Spartans emerged into a Warthog storage bay. They had any number of vehicles to choose from, and after about fifteen seconds, three of the reconnaissance vehicles went tearing out the opposite opening, the first two carrying three Spartans and the last one holding two. "We have a wildcat destabilization of the ship's fusion core; the engines must have sustained more damage than we thought!" To the Spartans, who had just driven through a firefight between the Covenant and the Flood: "Analyzing… we have six minutes before the fusion drives detonate. We need to evac now! Activating final countdown timer; when it reaches zero, the engines will detonate. The explosion will generate a temperature of almost one hundred million degrees. Don't be here when it blows."

The three vehicles each took their own path through the room, reaching the end at almost the exact same time, and it was much the same for the subsequent tunnel. The next room was a bit harder, but they all kept to one side, where a bridge extended over a series of barricades. They wove through the next two rooms and tunnels, and Cortana opened up a COM channel. "Cortana to Echo Four-Nineteen, request extraction now, on the double!"

_"Affirmative, Cortana; Foehammer inbound."_

Unbeknownst to any of the Spartans but not to their AI, John had been tailing the three Warthogs from the rims that ran along the edges of the _Autumn_ 's dorsal vehicle storage, the Dragon-horse effortlessly keeping up with the speeding LRVs, the Spartan himself monitoring their COM chatter. He dropped back a little, calculating the distance necessary for the leap…

All three of the Warthogs dropped about six feet and skidded to a stop on a circular section of bridge when Cortana said, "This is where Foehammer is coming to pick us up; hold position here!"

The Pelican appeared from off to their right, trailing smoke and tailed by two Covenant Banshees, which Cortana alerted her to, calling for her to evade and hoping that John had a plan to save her-

The plasma bomb impacted on the back of the Pelican at the same time as the Dragon-horse and its almost completely invisible rider landed on its nose; the beast's tail broke through the glass of the pilot's view screen, wrapping around Foehammer and yanking her free of the seat, the buckled seatbelt still attached to her. Just before the now-pilot-less Pelican soared underneath the bridge where the Spartans were, the Dragon-horse leaped up onto it, dumped Foehammer into the empty seat in the third Warthog, and tore off back in the direction that it had come, effortlessly finding platforms to jump off of and send it and its rider back onto the top of the _Autumn_ , where it promptly vanished.

"Umm… Okay… Thank you?"

They could hear Cortana giggle for a second and say, "Woo – ooo – ooo – ow. Impressive," before she was back to business. "Calculating alternate escape route… Ship's inventory shows two Longsword fighters still docked in launch bay seven; if we move _now_ we can make it!" Instantly, the Spartans put the pedal to the medal, barely giving Foehammer time to fumble for part of the seatbelt, using it to anchor herself to the vehicle while still enabling a quick getaway.

* * *

Meanwhile, John had just leapt into the fish-shaped transport with his infected mount and shouted, "Let's MOVE, people!" The Infected at the consoles shut the doors immediately and performed a severely abbreviated pre-flight checklist: "Everything's okay - let's go!" The thrusters activated with a roar and sent them blasting away from the dying ship and the ring it was taking with it.

Over their internal channel, the Spartan bellowed, [Attention all Infected! You have one minute and fifty seconds to get off Halo! That is all!]

"Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to Basis we go-"

"NO SINGING!"

* * *

The nav point on the Spartans' HUDs had gone from one kilometer down to nine hundred and ninety-nine meters and was counting down from there. Cortana shouted at them as they wove through the pillars in one of the tunnels, "Up ahead there's a gap in the trench; at top speed we should be able to clear it!"

They dropped no less than thirty feet and saw what Cortana meant while in free fall: there was a six-foot gap in the path, meaning that they would have to jump it in a manner that sent ripples of déjà vu through their minds as they sped towards it. All of the vehicles cleared the space, though there was a dangerous moment mid-leap where it looked like two of the Warthogs were going to collide, but the Spartans got control of the LRVs again. They were airborne again briefly when the tunnel they were entering dropped sharply, and the group of nine individuals passed through a very narrow tunnel with a path barely wide enough to accommodate the Warthogs in single file, but they made it.

There were some large cylinders preventing them from driving right up to the Longswords, so they bailed out, Sam saying, "Sorry, Foehammer," right before he snatched her up in a fireman's carry and ran full-tilt for the nearest of the fighters. By unspoken accord, Blue Team went in one and Red Team in the other, and the moment they were sealed and briefly checked over, the two fighters blasted out of the hangar, angling up toward the sky.

Behind them, explosions rippled the length of the _Autumn_ , even as John's extra Flood forms marched resolutely to their doom, all of the Infected having evacuated the moment John gave the order.

The Longswords shook as they escaped the atmosphere, engines at full power to get them away from the dying ring, the g-forces forcing the Spartans who were not sitting to cling to each other and the headrests of the seats where Foehammer and Linda, and Grace and Douglas, respectively, were at the controls, aiming the fighters for the large gathering of UNSC and captured Covenant transports well outside of the explosion's range.

For an instant, the darkness of space was lit with the incredible brilliance of an utterly silent explosion, part of Halo breaking off following the initial detonation but before the shockwave rushed outward, giving all of the transports a vigorous shaking when the fighters decelerated to group with the other personnel. All of them swung around to watch as the small piece that had broken off went spinning across the gulf to break through the other side, shearing off a longer section of the ring. All over, large breaks were appearing in the land, in the seas, in the deserts, in the mountains, in the metal of the ring itself. All of the Infected and the UNSC personnel – _all of them_ , even the "seventy-sixth Spartan" – were completely and utterly silent, watching the destruction with both wonder and sorrow; Halo had been built for a terrible purpose, almost too terrible for words, but it had been beautiful just the same.

"We did what we had to do," Cortana said finally, "For Earth. An entire Covenant armada obliterated, and the Flood… we had no choice." They could all hear the same sorrow in her voice that they held in their hearts; though they had survived, they had lost a lot of good people down there, and there had been countless wonders that would now remain forever undiscovered in the ruins of the ring, wonders that could have brought victory to the UNSC. "Halo… It's finished."

"…No," Fred said after a moment, broadcasting it so all could hear, "I think we're just getting started."

* * *

[ROGUE PROCESS x.X.x ERROR-ghost117]: And so ends the first of the three rings. We now walk the [Path of Demons] together, and our [Great Journey] has only just begun.

[ROGUE PROCESS x.X.x ERROR-ghost117]: _/End log: Installation Zero-Four. /Begin log: OPERATION: First Strike._

* * *

 

_I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin_ __  
_I must confess that I feel like a monster_  
_I'm gonna lose control, it's something radical_  
_I must confess that I feel like a monster_

_I, I feel like a monster_ __  
_I, I feel like a monster_  
_I, I feel like a monster_  
_I, I feel like a monster_

\- "Monster," Skillet ( _Awake_ )


	9. Eight: Ghosts of Reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Halo…

"So what now?"

All of the humans turned to look at their ship's COM system or at the private on Keyes' ship, an eyebrow moving on up.

"I mean, we can't stay here; we don't have the oxygen or the supplies, and that planet," he waved in the direction of Threshold, "isn't capable of sustaining human life. So what now?"

"Orders, Captain?" Fred asked over the radio.

"None of our ships have Slipspace generators, which means we need to capture one that does. Options, Cortana?"

"Our options are limited," the AI replied, "Capture a Covenant ship or die. There are no human ships in range, so a Covenant one is the only way out. If there is time, I would also advise looking for any jettisoned cryotubes." She was already scanning nearby space for one of the aforementioned ships or a spacial distortion that indicated one's impending arrival, praying to whoever was up there that the _Ascendant Justice_ did not appear right in the middle of their little flock –

"Well, that's convenient." Said Covenant ship had dropped out of Slipspace about six kilometers away from them with three frigates and a destroyer, and the AI hijacked the autopilot of their transports, instantly sending them veering away when the ship powered back on and fired at them. "Okay, let's move! Hang on, everyone!" The construct began moving their ships with the expert precision of a pilot who'd been doing it for years; all of the humans scurried to get themselves strapped in or anchored in some way to the ships.

"I think I'm going to be sick," someone growled when Cortana send their transport into a steep dive below the _Justice_ , swinging them up and around to one side in one of the plasma turrets' blind spots, but no one could argue with the effectiveness of her techniques; not one of the ships had been taken out yet, and they were doing substantial damage to the _Justice_ 's shields.

"Okay, okay, come on," the construct grunted when she was forced to send one of the Longswords into a sharp spiral to dodge a plasma bomb; then, so soft that they almost didn't hear her, "Did this once before, and with fewer ships, too; can do it again." A brilliant blue laser beam suddenly split the darkness, just barely missing the _Justice_ 's hull, but it tore the shields wide open, enabling Cortana to bring the transports into a starboard docking bay. Through the plexi-fiberglass windows of the ships, the humans caught a glimpse of a simply _immense_ black ship gliding silently in front of Basis. Its lit windows would serve as natural camouflage when it was not backlit by something, making it seem like just another stretch of distant space, and its shape made them think of an isosceles triangle with very powerful engines on the back. The black ship suddenly rippled iridescently – and vanished, its active camouflage engaged. They never saw it leave, but Cortana reported that it must have had some kind of external anti-grav generators; there had been zero distortions in space due to the ship's gravity, and they would not have detected it at all if it hadn't revealed itself for that brief instant.

"Daaaaaaaamn."

"Whatever it was, it's not an enemy, even if it's not an ally; it fired on the Covenant, not us," Keyes said firmly over the COM while the Spartans cleared the cargo bay for the regular soldiers to disembark.

"All due respect, sir, but it might not have even known we were there; it could have just fired on the Covenant to keep them from attacking it," Cortana piped up after Fred removed her from the Longsword's console, slotting her back into his armor. The AI did the equivalent of flopping down in exhaustion while he jogged down the Longsword's ramp, and the Spartans reported that all threats in the vicinity had been taken care of. The ODSTs instantly thundered down the ramps of the Pelicans and Spirit dropships, sweeping the area with their own assault rifles as the other soldiers descended at a much slower pace. The armored behemoths were holding the doors into the bay, and occasionally they could hear the brief sounds of a firefight in the distance. "Personnel rosters for this ship – the _Ascendant Justice_ – indicate that there's only one hundred Elites and a light company of Grunts with the odd Jackal here and there," the construct informed them as she searched for the shortest route to the bridge, "but most of the three-thousand-member crew are Engineers."

The Spartans said nothing, but then again, they didn't have to. One of the Marines spoke what was all on their minds: "Only a hundred?" in an undertone of sarcasm. Cortana ignored him and directed them to a large hexagonal door, telling them that it would take them through the main corridor to the bridge. She also provided the options of taking other routes to secure other areas, and the mass of soldiers split into three groups with at least six teams of Spartans per group, each of the three taking a different path. Keyes was going to the bridge with Cortana and Blue Team, Silva was taking Red Team to Engineering, and Lieutenant McKay set off for the main armory with Yellow and Green Teams, and it soon became very clear that the Covenant had originally dispatched many of their soldiers to fight on Halo.

The main passage to the bridge was, of course, heavily guarded, forcing them all to file down a small maintenance hall and the Spartans to power down their shields and turn sideways so they could fit through, which made for quite an amusing sight. Cortana was still snickering when she called for a halt and said, "There's a data port on you left, S-104, and down twenty centimeters. Slot me in; I can assist you better from within the ship." Fred hesitated, then did so, figuring that she could do no more harm than good; the UNSC – and Dr. Halsey – had assured them that even if she didn't like them, the rampant AI would not kill them or hinder their mission.

"How is it?" he asked, ready to yank her back out again if necessary; though she was there to help them, that didn't mean that she wasn't capable of giving information to the enemy.

"Different," the AI said without hesitation, "Proceed down this passage for thirty meters and turn left." She was already running down all of the Covenant AI in the ship's system, cackling like a mad woman when she found one and dissected it. The only one who was able to put up much of a fight was the one in charge of the weapons' systems, but she tore it apart with the ease of experience. Only when she was sure the place was clean did she drop a few of her anti-infiltration measures to better take control of the _Justice_ , scanning nearby space for any UNSC cryotubes drifting close to the ship in the debris from Halo.

The navigation controls were disabled – again – but she swiftly found another way in, taking control of the weapons systems at the same time and swinging the ship around to get a line on the ships that had come with the _Justice_ ; though they knew that the enemy had boarded the flagship, they were not firing, not yet. Because she was rampant, thus effectively terminating her ethics algorithms, she was able to devote more runtime to the task of finding and eliminating Covenant where she could, sealing bulkheads, and rallying the sensor ghosts of the humans. Just like before, she marshaled them around the bow of the ship where the UNSC's bridge would have been, drawing the Covenant away from the real locations of the humans. The Huragok she left alone, telling them to carry on with their appointed tasks and ignore any humans they saw, just as she told the UNSC to ignore them.

Dozens of Elite hunt-and-kill teams roamed the ship, searching; they hadn't yet realized that she was there, as she had spun off several subroutines to respond to the aliens as if they were the actual enemy constructs. Despite the fact that she was bloated both with the Origin Halo data and the Parallel's, she was still far better than anything the Covenant had in their arsenal. In fact, she had several hundred subroutines working on processing the immense volume of data, correcting errors, and compressing it all to a more manageable size, all while she was free to torment the aliens on the _Justice_ , thoroughly confusing them whilst she retrieved a few cryotubes from the cold darkness of space.

She uploaded the second method of reaching the bridge into the Spartans' and soldiers' neural laces, leaving them to choose who would go where. She turned her attention to calculating the Slipspace vector that the "rogue" Spartan had taken, estimating the distance traveled until she realized that the vector passed through Substance and Installation Zero-Five. "Proactive, that one," she commented, noting that someone was attempting to take their Slipspace generator offline; she diverted some power from the reactor and shocked the person or people with only six volts of power but almost ten amps of current, when not even half an amp was necessary to kill a human.

A spike of energy outside the ship caught her attention; one of the damaged frigates was making for _High Charity_. She let it go, knowing that if the Arbiter was to become the Arbiter then Truth and the other Prophets needed to haul butt. She color-coded the halls that she was about to pump atmosphere from and sent them to all UNSC personnel, making sure the areas were clear of humans before reversing the air pumps. 'Doing what must be done is never easy,' she thought, but refused to allow the memories of _High Charity_ to consume her, instead turning her attention back to the Spartans. Keyes' crew was almost perilously close to the bridge, and Cortana briefly spun up a different avatar for herself, making her look like a Forerunner. She appeared on the bridge and instantly spotted Thel 'Vadamee, the current Supreme Commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice and future Arbiter of the Separatists.

She cleared her throat to gain his attention. _"You."_

The gold-armored Elite spun to face her, mandibles abruptly going slack in shock at the sight of a seemingly-solid and full size Forerunner on his bridge. "/Holy one, I-/"

" _Now is not the time,"_ she said gently, _"You must leave through the escape pods. Your task is not done, and if you die here, then all of your people will follow. A great and terrible massacre is coming, one which will shake the Sangheili people to their roots. You must be their pillar of strength."_

He hesitated, then dipped his head. "/I understand, Holy One./"

She smiled gently at him. _"We know you will not fail us, Thel 'Vadamee. You are a great warrior, as great as the Didact himself."_ She bowed her head in return and dissolved her hologram. When the Spartans burst into the bridge, the Elite dodged the bullets they fired at him, drawing his plasma sword, but before he could strike back, one of the Spartans lunged forward and slammed an open hand against his chest, cracking his ribs and sending him flying back into one of the escape pods. "I got this," Cortana said to the Spartans, sealing the pod and launching it, keeping the Sangheili alive. The humans swept the room to make sure it was safe before permitting Captain Keyes to enter with his surviving bridge crew; there were only a few frightened Huragok drifting in a corner.

The construct appeared on the display, her crimson body throwing odd shadows about in the room, and she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Lieutenant McKay is in the process of securing the armory, and Major Silva has taken control of engineering, Captain," she said in her best deadpan, careful to keep her expression neutral. Internally she was excited; there was no turning back now.

Cortana was not by any means nervous over the impending "First Strike;" no, what she was nervous about was whether or not there would _be_ a First Strike. Almost half of the crew of the _Pillar of Autumn_ was still with them, about a thousand people, and all seventy-five of the Spartans were still breathing, so far as she could tell. What she really hoped was that Keyes would ask her what their options were so she could shoot the "continue on Alpha Rendezvous" one out of the water. There were a million good reasons why they should _not_ continue, number one being that –

"Cortana?"

"Yes, sir?"

"What are our options?"

'….Thank you, God.' The AI shook her head. "Not many. We can either continue on our previous mission or head back to Earth. I would highly advise doing the latter, as Reach is no longer on the playing field. Also, we cannot very well charge into enemy space with barely half of the crew and no back-up ship. It is… highly inadvisable." She crossed her arms, obligingly running calculations for their odds of survival, but things were not promising. With only one ship on which to make their escape, there would be no decoys, no hopes of transferring the Prophet from one ship to another without the Covenant knowing and letting that ship escape while the other drew fire and was ultimately destroyed. There was only the slimmest of probabilities that they would make it out alive if they went.

Keyes sighed. "Rock and a hard place, is it?"

"Quite so, sir." She shifted from one foot to another, a surprisingly human gesture that had the Spartans present cocking their heads slightly as they looked at her; they were unable to tell where the AI ended and the human mannerisms began. Cortana appeared to abruptly gaze off into space –

'Sounds like the world is coming to an end,' the construct snickered at the COM traffic she was listening to before addressing the humans in front of her. "Regardless of our course of action, there are some vital internal repairs to be made, which means I need one of you," she pointed at the Spartans, "to take one of them," the Huragok, "to Silva in Engineering. Although I would prefer that more of them were taken down there, I'm not sure I can rely on you all to play nice with the Covies long enough to get them down there, given your history."

Behind her visor, Kelly pursed her lips at the surreptitious insult and unintentionally rose to Cortana's bait. "I'll do it," she said, "Just show me where to take it."

The AI waved at the group below. "Pick your Engineer of choice, and I'll map out the course you'll need to take." The Spartan paced forward into the group and looked over the Engineers, one particularly brave one actually drifting closer to peer at her with its six eyes. Kelly decided to take that one, and Cortana told it what they wanted in its own tongue via the Covenant lexicon in the computer. When they left, it looked like Kelly was giving the purple creature a strange piggy back ride, as the thing had wrapped its tentacles around her torso just above her waist to it could be pulled along behind her.

The construct loaded the map into her HUD as the Spartan tore down the hall, dropping a few levels before pausing at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Her Huragok pressed a button on the wall, and the doors before her wrenched themselves open just as there was a flutter of activity at the edge of her motion tracker. She crouched behind a support beam and peered around the side just in time to see a clutch of Grunts take fire from some Marines around the corner. The Huragok huffed when some of the bullets penetrated the walls of the passage but didn't let go of her; if anything it clung tighter and shivered as if – it was afraid.

S-087 looked down at the being blinking up at her with its six eyes, and it chirped impatiently, trying to nudge her along. "Like a temperamental teenager," Cortana commented in her ear as she paced down the passage, rifle at the ready, and rounded the corner, coming face to face with Wolfgang.

"What is _that_ thing?" he asked, covering her back as they retreated up the passage to Engineering, "It looks like one of those mutant slime blobs from those really bad nineteen-sixties movies."

"You watch too much TV in your free time," Kelly told him, "and you obviously weren't paying attention when Halsey debriefed us. It's an Engineer." They reached the Engineering station and entered through the guarded door, the ODSTs standing outside giving her odd looks when she passed. The many-limbed being squealed unhappily when it saw the state of the place and immediately set to work, giving the distinct impression that it was muttering furiously under its breath, cursing the soldiers who used far too much ammo and ended up destroying their surroundings, too. Both Kelly and Wolfgang raised an eyebrow at it before passing it off as one of the race's quirks.

Silva scowled when he saw that yet another Spartan had arrived and paced over to them. "Why are you here?" he demanded, incensed.

"Cortana asked that we bring down one of the Engineers, sir," Kelly said calmly, gesturing to the purple creature now disassembling what was unmistakably the _Justice_ 's Slipspace generator and replacing damaged parts. Silva humphed and strode away, leaving the warriors to their own devices. None of the ODSTs seemed happy at her arrival, and even fewer when Fred and Sam arrived, the latter with two Engineers clinging to his person. They chirped at one another as they set to work repairing the damaged components in the room, leaving the three members of Blue Team free to return to the bridge, which they did; they didn't want to overstay their "welcome." There were several more Huragok repairing the bridge when they came through the door, and said door was successfully locked behind them.

Keyes was standing on the platform in the center of the bridge, supervising Cortana's evasive action from the other Covenant ships, moving them closer and closer to Threshold and its gravity well, and they had just slipped in, intending on using the planet's own magnetic field to disrupt the plasma torpedoes fired in their direction. Though she had prevented the Covenant from taking the Slipspace generator offline, it had been damaged by Silva and the ODSTs when they took the Engineering section of the ship; she was waiting for the Huragok taken down there to finish repairing it so they could make a jump. The AI was waiting rather impatiently, though; each second was a small eternity to her, and Keyes’ decision was taking even longer. She sighed heavily.

Being an AI sucked.

"Cortana, set a course for Earth, and –"

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I cannot do that. Both a direct course and an indirect course are disallowed by the Cole Protocol, as there is no way to perform an exhaustive search of this ship for tracking devices." She paused, reviewing their course of action in the Origin. "I suggest an intermediate destination: Reach."

"Reach?" Keyes seemed confused, and the Spartans sidled over to listen. "There's nothing in the Epsilon Eridani system except for a Covenant armada. Why should we go there?"

"There are two major possibilities for Reach," Cortana explained gently, "The first is that the Covenant simply glassed the system and moved on. If that is the case, there should be a serviceable derelict that we can repair and take to Earth, leaving this ship in low orbit around the planet until we return with a full R&D staff to examine it. The other option is that the Covenant is still there, in which case it is highly unlikely that they would fire on one of their own ships."

The AI received a ping from one of the Engineers, letting her know that the Slipspace generator was back online, and she instantly fired it up, already compensating for the gravitational distortions of Threshold even as she plotted a course for Reach. They sped away from the ruins of Halo and the soon-to-be arrival zone of _High Charity_ , but the AI was shocked when a request for a COM establishment came just after arrival in Slipspace.

'Hello?'

['Ello, love. Thought you'd like to know that we – that is, the Infected and I – have arrived safely at Installation Zero-Five.]

'Thanks.'

He sent her the rough equivalent of a COM link smiley face before he cut the connection, letting her return her attention to the Captain. He was in deep conversation with the bridge crew nearby, so she turned her gaze to the Spartans, a few of whom were sitting on the edge of the platform, cleaning their weapons. She simulated a bored yawn.

* * *

"Okay, let's get to work, people. I need a platoon to scout out the Library; check and see if there's a Gravemind below it but approach no closer than necessary. Four squads of SpecOps to the Control Room; I want that puppy locked down and under observation before Tartarus gets there. The rest of you, start unpacking the Infection forms; let them loose at these locations."

"Where will you be, sir? In case we need to find you?" Nep'Thalia looked up from the display to blink at the cloaked Spartan.

"I will be going over the terrain that I covered in the Origin, getting the scope of how things have changed and assessing possible checkpoints to keep an eye on the UNSC when they come through. It's been a hundred thousand years since we've been here, after all." The Spartan vanished through the teleportation network on the ships and reappeared on the Halo's surface where Blue Team would land in the HEVs, a Forerunner light rifle in his hands.

* * *

"Alright. We're going to Reach."

Cortana slipped out of the sleep-like state that she had induced while waiting for Keyes' decision and was momentarily disoriented. "Wha? – Oh, right. Okay, then." She ignored the odd looks that Keyes and the Spartans sent her and made it look like she was changing their destination when in actuality she was looking over the cryotubes she had retrieved, checking the status of the pods and their energy sources. McKay and her crew had secured the armory, so she told the Huragok to take the pods to her and returned her attention to the bridge. "…what?"

The majority of those on the bridge had been staring at her. "Nothing," Keyes replied and became engrossed in a conversation with Lieutenant Hikowa on the advantages of the Covenant Slipspace generators, reexamining the videos of their flight from Threshold. Cortana sighed to herself. She just wanted to get back to Earth so they could set out for Delta Halo already, dammit! Alas, it was not to be; humanity had yet to figure out how to do instantaneous teleportation, though the plans she had taken from Halo would set them on the right path. She sighed again, then remembered: Dr. Halsey was still on Reach. Was she alright? Was she hurt? Had the Covenant overrun her position? Was she even in CASTLE base when it all went down? Her records were unclear on the matter, so it was best to assume that she was there, based on her analyses of Halsey's personality and the history of the Origin.

'Is it me, or am I getting really random?' she thought, examining the weapon controls for the flagship. There had been no time to look them over before, but now she could see that one of the Covenant AI had gotten to them earlier in the game, which meant she had to replace them. She rifled leisurely through her files and found what she was looking for in the blink of an eye, uploading the protocols and running a couple thousand test fires before she deemed it "adequate." The construct alerted Keyes to what the enemy AI had done and how she had fixed it, which led to –

"Hold on, the Covenant have an AI?" one of the bridge crew said, holding up their arms in an X to stop her from speaking.

"'Had,' Lieutenant. I terminated it but saved all of its data. It appears to be a copy of a copy of a human AI, probably a dumb one, as it is not very innovative. It went through all of the standard procedures for stopping infiltration before I slipped in." Cortana crossed her arms and shifted her weight, seeming to stare off into space. "I have taken the liberty of adding its language translation vectors to my own subroutines, and it has substantially increased my understanding of the Covenant, as well as revealed an encoded subchannel that I could not detect before."

"So we'll be able to add this to the other UNSC smart AI?"

"Indeed." She appeared to straighten in surprise. "Five minutes until arrival at Epsilon Eridani system," she said calmly, "All hands prepare for reversion to normal space. Let's see what's there waiting for us."

* * *

A/N: Here are the teams so far:

Red Team: Douglas-042, Jerome-092, Alice-130, Grace-093

Orange Team: Maria-062, Cassandra-075, Joseph-122, Joshua-029

Yellow Team: Daisy-023, Anton-044, Soren-066, Kurt-051

Green Team: Li-008, Fhajad-084, Rene-005, Kirk-018

Jade Team: Malcolm-059, Solomon-069, Carl-074, Carter-013

Teal Team: Darrian-136, Wolfgang-149,

Cyan Team: Darius-116, Valerie-142, Chris-014,

Blue Team: Fred-104, Kelly-087, Linda-058, Sam-034

Indigo Team: Ralph-003, Randall-098, Sheila-022, Victor-102

Violet Team: Jorge-052, James-132, Keiichi-047, Isaac-039

Black Team: Vinh-030, Arthur-079, Cal-141, William-043

Brown Team: Arnold-101, Robyn-009, Andrew-037, Mickey-012

Amber Team: Lily-150,

Beige Team:

Gray Team: Jai-006, Adriana-111, Mike-015, Zadok-119

White Team:

Ivory Team:

Gold Team:

Silver Team:

Infected Team (Team Forerunner): John-117, Venera & Kenera, Nep'Thalia, Dacien, Lil'Ame, Harena, Cenanto, Thenma, Ursoen, 100,000+ others


	10. Nine: Builder's Legacy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All your aliens are belong to the Chief.

"Exiting Slipspace in three… two… one."

The lights on the whole ship dimmed in response to the reactor drain for the pinpoint jump, and out of the blackness of Slipspace, light appeared. The _Ascendant Justice_ nosed back out into real space, and on their three o'clock the warm yellow light of Epsilon Eridani filled the bridge through the _Justice_ 's external cameras. Cortana slowly fired the ship's thrusters to bring them around, saying, "We are seven hundred thousand kilometers from the system center. I wanted to jump in close enough to see what was going on but far enough away to be able to recharge and reenter Slipspace if there's any trouble – oh, _shit._ " All the humans turned to look, and the construct broadcasted what the cameras picked up for the whole of the human crew to see.

Reach was burning.

From pole to pole, the major population centers of the planet had been vitrified in one fell swoop, turned to glass on a whim. Once great military bases of the UNSC were now nothing more than slowly solidifying slag, and the forests and mountains of the Spartans' home were on fire and crumbling to ash. A black hurricane of smoke and smog and microsilicates was swirling its way across a now heavily polluted ocean, most life gone from its depths. Fire raged everywhere, and pools of glass still glowed about the edges as if they were still fresh.

"Wait," Cortana said suddenly, zooming in on one part of the planet near the midlatitudes, "What have we here? The Covenant don't ever miss spots, so what is this?" There was an open spot of green forest and blue lakes and white snow amidst the angry black of scorched earth and fiery orange of burning plains. "That's the approximate location of ONI's CASTLE base," Cortana asserted, hologram disappearing as she reassigned her processing resources, "Assessing situation…"

"This warrants a closer look," Keyes stated, "If the Covenant are interested in it, then we should be, too. Whatever it is could turn the tide of the war."

"We're being hailed," the construct stated, "Preparing proper counter-response. Moving into high orbit."

The Captain rubbed his chin thoughtfully, turning his pipe over in his other hand. "Senior Chief," he said after a moment, "take your squad and one other down to the surface to investigate. We need to find out what's going on down there, see if we can use whatever they're looking for to our advantage. If you can, secure it and bring it back here with the Doctor. If not, destroy it."

"Aye, sir." Fred nodded, then gestured to Red Team. Both the Blues and the Reds set off for one of the docking bays to claim one of the Spirit dropships contained within, wary of the transient contacts that Cortana was picking up all over the ship. Yellow Team had gone to secure the armory with McKay but met up with them in the bay, carrying extra ammo for them to take with on their sojourn down to the surface. Cortana, meanwhile, was uploading all necessary responses to possible queries into the dropship's onboard computer, giving the subroutine in charge of them limited capacity for extrapolation in the given circumstances. When she retreated from the dropship's systems and scanned the planet and the space around it again, she brought something else to the attention of the UNSC personnel: the Covenant were using the rough equivalent of tugboats to push the remains of destroyed ships into immense graveyards around Reach.

"They're cleaning house as if they intend to stay a while," the AI said, "I've also received a response from the fleet, and they're curious as to why we're here but not suspicious enough to question our authority. Based on the near-obscene amount of honorifics attached to their responses, there was someone very important aboard this ship."

"Can you tell what they're here for, Cortana?"

"Not yet, though they are referring to 'holy relics' in about four times as many transmissions as normal; my guess is that they're looking for something below the surface – hang on. Picking up something on the UNSC E-band. A distress call… with Doctor Halsey's and Vice Admiral Whitcomb's personal codes. From _here._ " A blue nav point appeared over one of the mountains near the very edge of the untouched zone, and that appeared to be where Covenant activity was the thickest. Nor was that the only problem; there were air patrols flying over at least every minute, and a squad of six Banshees was circling the area constantly.

All of the Spartans tensed, visibly on-edge; Halsey was their mother of sorts, and she was the only one who called them by name rather than number, could tell the difference between them when they were in full armor. Keyes came over the line again; "Senior Chief, take a few more squads with you and retrieve the Doctor at all costs; she's too valuable to let the Covenant get a hold of her, and Admiral Whitcomb… that goes without saying." The Spartan gave an affirmative reply and called Green Team down to join the three primary colors in the bay, and their construct began prepping another two Spirits for launch; one of the dropships alone could _not_ hold eight tons of flesh and armor, nor could it have come back with Halsey, Whitcomb, and any survivors they might have had with them.

With no Covenant AI to broadcast her secrets or reveal that the _Justice_ was in human hands, Cortana was free to start gathering information and wreaking havoc on the enemy, and she spun off several subroutines to do her hacking for her, sending them darting out into Covenant systems and coming back with mountains upon mountains of pre-processed data. Because of her experiences in the Origin and all that she'd retained, she was able to calmly listen in on their communiqués without interference, retrieving the encoded subchannel's orders to jump to Earth and storing them for later presentation to the humans. She would wait until the Spartans were back on board with Halsey and Whitcomb to tell them the news; they didn't need any more distractions.

Catherine Halsey was indeed down in the crystal complex with about twenty or so UNSC soldiers, including Admiral Whitcomb. They would have descended into the Forerunner structures below ONI's CASTLE base, and those structures would have security systems that she should be able to hack – unless, of course, John already had her registered in the Forerunners' recognition software.

Which he had, the jerk.

All of the Covenant were in the large chamber just outside of the Crystal Room, and Dr. Halsey…

* * *

The Shard was suspended perfectly straight over the perfectly circular platform in the exact center of the room, and each of its thousand facets gleamed a brilliant exotic blue, lit from within, its darker core swirling chaotically. Its glow only stretched so far into the room, however, just reaching a two-inch-wide gold band inlaid into the floor. The walls were mirrors of platinum, each of the millions of one-foot-square planes reflecting the image of the crystal back at it, making its light seem more intense than it really was.

"This," Halsey thought aloud, "must be what the Covenant are here for."

"Which means that we can't let them have it," Whitcomb growled, peering down their only exit, the other end swarming with Covenant, "So let's grab it and go!" He missed the disparaging look she shot at him but heard her footsteps heading away from them and consequently toward the Shard. She glanced around at the mirrored room as she walked, seeing hundreds, thousands of herself from various angles as she approached the Shard, and though she hesitated for only a moment, she stepped beyond the gold line. The crystal flared an angry red in response and unmistakably _scanned_ her; for the briefest of instants, she felt a great and ageless yet ancient _something_ brush against her, and the contact sent chills of wonder and terror down her spine, Goosebumps rippling across her skin. Shock, clearly foreign in origin, touched their minds, but its words were directed at Halsey, though all of the humans could hear.

_You. You are Her mother._

The Doctor furrowed her brow in confusion and cocked her head slightly as if she was trying to hear better. "I'm sorry?"

 _You_ are _His construct's creator, are you not? Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey?_

Thinking that the Shard must have been referring to Fred and Cortana, she replied, "I am. To whom am I speaking?"

_I am Epheria. For the moment, that is all you need to know, but more with be explained as things progress down the [Path]. You must take me to your daughter as soon as possible; I need her to pass along a message to someone very important._

"Cortana is not here; she is…" Halsey hesitated; the Alpha Rendezvous was heavily classified. "…away with the Spartans."

 _She was,_ "Epheria" confirmed, her tone adding a "but" to the end, _and now she has returned. Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green Teams will meet you in the outer chamber in about five minutes._ The Shard fell silent, and Halsey warily stepped forward and picked it up; it was very warm and surprisingly light for its size, fitting comfortably in her hand. Now that she was holding it, she could feel a pulse coming through the gem, akin to the beating of a human heart, throbbing through the air, through the _space_ around her like it was the heartbeat of the universe itself. The Doctor gazed down at it for a long moment before jogging back over to the Admiral and his men.

"What did she mean by those 'teams?'" the Admiral asked her, and the scientist was startled when the Shard heated in her hand, the pulse intensifying.

 _Exactly what I said,_ Epheria stated patiently, _Four Teams – sixteen Spartans – will be here soon to rescue you. Any other questions?_

"Yeah," one of the soldiers grunted as he fired at a particularly daring Elite that had poked his head around the far edge of the tunnel, "can you make them get here faster? These homicidal freaks are getting on my nerves."

Epheria sighed. _Alright._ The Shard _:pulsed:_ suddenly and with an intensity that made the fabric of space around it seem to ripple, and a moment later, they heard the unmistakable sounds of gunfire, the ratting of assault rifles, and the shouts of the Covenant as they died. _Anything else? A double-frappe mocha cappuccino or whatever the latest caffeinated drink is?_ Her sarcasm relaxed them for some reason; it was familiar territory, at least. The humans ignored her and jogged down the short passage between the antechamber and the crystal room, just in time to watch the Spartans finish off the last of the Covenant on the elegantly tiled floor; they swiftly met at the middle and were sweeping the area with their guns when Epheria spoke again. _Hold me in clear view, Doctor,_ she said urgently, startling the Spartans, _Let me balance over one of your hands._ She was visibly concerned about the request but shifted the Shard as she had asked. _Alright, they shouldn't kill you right now._

"Who?"

_Look up._

They did so and beheld thousands of Covenant soldiers standing on the twelve levels of tiers that ringed the room, steadily ascending toward the elegant hologram of an unknown star system suspended in the air at the highest point in the room. The enemy had been utterly still, their motion trackers unable to pick them up, but they would have been a solid wall of red if it had. There were at least ten pairs of Hunters, hundreds of angry Elites, thousands of Grunts and Jackals bobbing around at their ankles. Their plasma weapons were charging, filling the air with a sound not unlike a thousand locust.

No one dared make a sound, save for one of the Marines, who let out a soft but heartfelt expletive.

There would be no need for the Covenant to aim; all they would have to do was fill the air with plasma and needle shards, and the humans would be obliterated before they could even make a break for the Spirits to make their exit. One of the Hunter pairs on the lowest tier roared their fury and fired their fuel rod guns straight at the gathering of humans.

* * *

"All quiet on the western front, Commander?"

"Quite; it's all the same. Any word on the Gravemind in the Library?"

"It's there alright. Venera almost lost an arm, and Dacien got a few fingers broken, but other than that everyone's okay. The Infection forms are loose where you specified, and SpecOps has the Control Room; they're setting up some security alerts that will let us know when Tartarus and the Arbiter get there."

"That reminds me, get someone on COM and get into contact with _High Charity_ ; we need to make sure that the Arbiter is going to become the Arbiter."

"…that doesn't make sense, but okay. Whatever you say, sir."

* * *

Kelly was in motion before anyone else, moving to put herself between Doctor Halsey and the Shard and the Covenant firing at them, and Fred and Sam darted in front of Admiral Whitcomb, the rest of the Spartans forming a wall between the shots and the humans, but the shots never came. Space in front of them seemed to _:ripple:_ , and the plasma rounds disappeared through the ripple; they heard them impact harmlessly on the ground behind them a fair distance away. A thousand more shots rang out through the chamber, and again the Spartans braced themselves for an attack that never came.

Every shot was directed at the Hunters that had fired upon the humans, and though the pair raised their shields to protect themselves, the metal was meant to protect them from single weapons fire, not thousands; they were burned alive, their armor and shields ignited as well, and they only caught the briefest glimpses of them before they were vaporized completely. The section of the gallery where they had stood was blasted to naught but dust and debris that rained down onto the floor below, and an Elite in gold armor shouted something that whispered through their translators a moment later, "Take them, but the next one to fire on the holy light will be skinned alive! Go!"

"That's why they're after you," Halsey whispered, and Epheria snorted.

_Yes. That is the understatement of the millennium. And before you lot start staring at me, we should probably get out of here first._

The humans hastily agreed, as some SpecOps Elites were rappelling to the ground floor and charging in their direction, and Jackals followed them down the ropes, eager to kill some humans or die trying. The Spartans lifted their weapons and fired three-round bursts at the aliens, sending a score of unshielded Elites on the forefront of the charge to the ground, tripping up those behind them who were too slow or too close to avoid the bodies; the humans made a break for the Spirits when the Shard let out a crack like a gunshot, startling the Covenant soldiers and scaring the Unggoy out of their little Grunt-y minds, causing them to start firing on their own people. That gave them the cover they needed to reach the dropships, get everyone on board, and get airborne before the Covenant could collect themselves and return to attacking the humans.

The dropships swooped out of the chamber and into the tunnel leading outside, and they were shocked to find that there were almost three times as many ships as there had been when they entered; one of the carriers was hovering directly over the exit and was attempting to use its gravity lift to force them back down into the chamber. _Oh no you don't, bitch,_ Epheria hissed, and there was an explosion somewhere in the ship above them. Then they were free to accelerate for the _Ascendant Justice_ , and they could see that it was engaging some of the Covenant ships, destroying them with laser-like bursts of plasma – and all of the sudden they were right next to it. It had been hard-docked to the remains of the UNSC frigate _Gettysburg_ , its top to the destroyed ship's. Thedropships’ pilots barely had time to put on the brakes before they whizzed into one of the docking bay, coming to a stop inches from the purple bulkhead, and Fred shouted at Cortana to get them out of there.

The construct did just that; scant moments later, the conjoined ships swung around to a seemingly random orientation and jumped away from Reach, light boiling around its nose before it was gone into Slipspace. She was surprised that Slipspace appeared normal, despite the fact that the Shard was onboard, and she detected Halsey and the Spartans moving for the bridge after a brief conference in the bay. It took them a few minutes to reach the command center, and all of the bridge crew snapped to salutes when Vice Admiral Whitcomb stepped in ahead of the Doctor and the Spartans. "At ease," the man said while Halsey approached the construct with the Shard cupped almost reverently in her hands, "Cortana, this… person needs to speak with you."

Much to their surprise, the Shard appeared to split along its thousand facets and formed two fragmented half-spheres about a foot in diameter suspended in the air, and a beautiful, blue-tinged woman materialized, standing on the bottom half-sphere. Cortana's hologram shimmered into view, the same size as the woman's, and she spoke in a musical but foreign tongue; their translators recognized it as Covenant words but spat nonsense at them. No one realized that it was the Forerunner language that they were speaking in.

"/Who are you and what do you want?/" Cortana said bluntly, making the other chuckle.

 _“/As blatant as we expected. I am Epheria, and I ask that you hear me out before you say anything,/”_ she inserted, noting the look of fury that appeared on the AI's face, “ _/My sister Selenica and I were attacked over one hundred thousand years ago by the goddesses of an enemy race called the P'Vort. They were able to catch us at our weakest and drove us from the Tower of Eternity, assuming our forms and tricking your Spartan into believing that they were us when they cursed him, changed him. We need both his and your help to dispose of them and take back the Tower before they find a way to open the [Gates Between the Worlds] and enslave everything, even your home world, the Origin. We have no doubt that that will be their first target./”_

"/And what do you want me to do?/"

_“/For now? Pass along a message to the Master Chief; tell him that I would speak with him and that in exchange we would try to find a way to make him human again. But…/”_

"/But…?/"

 _“/It has been so long, so much time has passed since he_ was _human that I fear he might never be able to turn back. Still, we will search for a way./”_

"/And if he chooses not to help?/"

_“/Us searching will do no good, as we'll all be dead or enslaved./”_

"/That sounds unpleasant./"

_“/It does, doesn't it?/”_

"/Fine. I'll help, at least. Anything specific you want me to say to him?/"

_“/Just that the Shard wants to tell him the truth and asks him to hear us out. In a sense, it is our fault that he is suffering, and we have tried to ease it as best we could. We want to help him finish the fight./”_

"/All right, I'll pass along the message./" She nodded, apparently satisfied with Epheria's explanation, then asked, "/How do I know that you aren't tricking me to try and kill him?/"

She sighed. “ _/You're just going to have to trust me, but I give you my word as a Goddess of the Tower that I mean neither you nor your Spartan any harm. You will find no more binding vow anywhere./”_

Cortana hmmed but accepted the vow, and so she turned to the humans and told them about the Covenant having discovered the location of Earth. Epheria grunted something derisive under her breath, masked by several horrified gasps, and the construct explained further about an immense space station called the _Unyielding Hierophant_. If they could destroy it, it would give the humans an enormous strategic advantage if some Covenant survived the explosion to reach Earth, not to mention the fact that it was that many fewer soldiers available to go after humans. While the Captain and the Admiral were conferring and the Spartans were staring at the Shard, Cortana abruptly realized something and turned to Epheria. "How exactly have you…?" She made a gesture with her hand, and Epheria understood, pointing at the Spartans.

Both of them turned to look at the warriors, who were staring at them as if they were some kind of riveting sitcom, and Cortana said, "Yeah, I can see how that would help."

"…what?"

 _“You all aren't supposed to be alive,”_ Epheria said calmly, acting as if she was saying that the pyramids at Giza reflected Orion's belt, “ _and it is because of my sister's and my interference that you are.”_

"If you're talking about back there, that –"

 _“Not just then. There have been countless times we have interfered to save you, too many to be passed off as coincidence, and yet that is exactly what has happened. You,”_ she pointed at Sam, “W _hen you boarded a Covenant cruiser immediately after getting the MJOLNIR armor, you were shot by one of the enemy, and your jumpsuit should have been breached. But it held just long enough for you to return to your own ship before it tore. And Daisy-023, she used herself as a shield to protect some Marines from plasma fire before the MJOLNIR was upgraded with personal shields, yet she was perfectly unharmed. What about Solomon-069? He was caught in the explosion on the Covenant destroyer when they detonated a bomb to kill you – yet he is alive, saved by a miracle. The same for Arthur-079 when his personal transport exploded after it came under fire – and he, too, survived to be picked up shortly after. Cal-141 went on a sniping mission with a squad of ODSTs and was supposed to have been fatally shot – yet she survived and resumed active duty, something no ordinary human could have done even when the beam bent away from their vital organs. And the Fall of Reach… you cannot deny that so many surviving a jump to planet side without an HEV should be impossible. Yet here you all are – alive, if a little worse for wear.”_ She cocked her head. “ _Can you explain that?”_

Silence. Then, "Why?"

Epheria turned to look at Kelly.

"Why save us?" she asked, "You don't even know us. Our lives are of no value to you."

She smiled. “ _But one does know you and values you highly,”_ she said, “ _one who holds the fate of humanity – and the Covenant – in the palm of his hand.”_

* * *

 

"Ah –CHOO!"

"Bless you, sir."

Sniff. "Ugh, thank you."

"Are you quite sure there's no one talking about you?"

"That's just an old wives' tale, Lil'Ame."

* * *

_It waits for the day_  
I will let it out.  
To give it a reason,  
To give it its might.

-"It's the Fear," Within Temptation ( _The Silent Force_ )


	11. Ten: How to Get Ahead in War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, thousands of miles away…

Fortunately for them, there was no sabotage of the _Ascendant Justice-Gettysburg_ , and because there was no sabotage, there was also no need to stop in Eridanus Secondus' asteroid belt for repairs. They made very good time to the location where the _Hierophant_ would pass through on its way to Earth and lurked in Slipspace, the goddess in the Shard making it so that they were still in the alternate dimension without going anywhere. “ _So what's the plan?”_

"You're a goddess. Don't you know what's going to happen?"

_“I might.”_

"Are you going to tell us?"

_“…Probably not.”_

"Dammit."

 _“In any case, I'm going with you,”_ Epheria declared, _“I've spent a hundred thousand years cooped up in this little sliver, waiting for you to come and get me, and I'm not about to miss out on any more of the action.”_

"You are a _weird_ goddess."

 _“We can have an entire conversation on what would be considered a ‘normal’ goddess, or we can plan this mission and kick some butt.”_ She pointedly crossed her arms, and Whitcomb picked up on her unspoken "get moving, idiots."

"She's right; we need a plan to stop the Covenant from reaching Earth. Cortana, what can you give us?"

"We are presently on a collision course with the _Unyielding Hierophant_ ," the AI said calmly, watching as Halsey paced in a corner of the room, "and we have approximately six hours until we reach the intersection."

_“I can make it more, if necessary. Or less.”_

Cortana nodded her thanks, then continued, "Based on the transmissions I have intercepted, the _Hierophant_ is a mobile space station, between ten and twenty kilometers long, and that means that the simplest way to destroy it is to pull a 'Halo': cause a chain reaction in one of their reactors. The security protocols in place will cause the other reactors to attempt to stabilize the flow through a fluctuation of their own levels, and that, in turn, will send all of them into a wildcat state, making them detonate shortly after the sabotaged one goes." She crossed her arms and – fast as lightning – exchanged glances with Epheria. Both knew what the other was thinking: the sacrifices of Lieutenant Haverson and Vice Admiral Whitcomb. They could not very well permit them – or anyone – to replicate that; there had to be some other way to lure the Covenant ships in close to the space station.

"And how do you suggest we sabotage this space station, Cortana? Dropping this ship out of Slipspace for even a second would doom us all."

"A dropship."

"Pardon?"

"A dropship. A single dropship is incapable of staying in Slipspace under its own power; the field would deteriorate or tear the ship apart. One of the Covenant's dropships has a more than significant likelihood of the former, so the Spartans could drop out of Slipspace and board the _Hierophant_." The construct checked their course and their time; the time-space continuum was fluctuating slightly around them as if Epheria was unsure whether they needed more or less time. She turned her head to look at the goddess, who laid her hands on her chest and shook her head, holding Cortana's gaze. The AI lifted her shoulders in askance, and the goddess made a gesture; whoever was in control of the Tower of Eternity was creating the disturbance, trying to rip the space-time continuum and kill all of them. She cocked her head, and the other responded; the only thing they could do was move forward as fast as possible before the fabric reached its breaking point.

* * *

John reached up and rubbed his forehead, voicing a quiet groan. There it was again, the ache in his frontal lobe, the signal that someone somewhere was messing with the universe. He rested his elbows on his desk and covered his eyes with his palms, fingers winding through his short bangs, and the Spartan forced his mind to relax, to try and gain impressions of the meddler.

_...sla…_

What?

… _nsla…_

Deep breaths, he told himself, deep calming breaths. Imagine a calm pool, perfectly still, perfectly cool, the kind where you could unwind all day…

… _enslave…_

* * *

 

"And how are we supposed to get the Spartans back on board?"

_“I can do it.”_

"With all due respect –"

 _“But nothing. I said I was going with them and I shall. My presence will lure all of the Covenant ships closer to the_ Hierophant _, and before it detonates, I will bend the fabric of space and bring them back aboard. I can stop them from getting killed while on the station, too. All you'll have to do is hide behind the moon or the planet itself near the intersection and wait. I'll do the rest.”_ The goddess appeared very firm in her decision and crossed her arms as if expecting them to argue further. Finally, Whitcomb sighed and verbally acknowledged the fact that they truly had no say in whether she went or stayed; she was a goddess. “ _More like a custodian, a guardian. A very, very,_ very _powerful one.”_

Immediately, the Spartans received permission to head to the launch bay and begin reinforcing one of the three Spirits that they had used to retrieve Doctor Halsey and Admiral Whitcomb. Only an elite squad would need to head out to fight the Covenant; the more that went, the more likely they were to get killed. Epheria hitched a ride in one of the pouches on Fred's ammo belt, and they could hear her whispering to Cortana every once and a while in that strange, fluting, almost musical tongue that they'd spoken in when they first met. The construct was busy doing some reinforcing of her own, strengthening the copy of herself so that it would not succumb to instability nearly as fast while inside the _Hierophant_ 's systems. She watched them load all of their necessary gear onto the dropship: Lotus antitank mines, explosives, crates of ammunition and the weapons that used them. She was disappointed that she would not be going along – again – but she was needed on the conjoined ships, while this was a mission for an expendable AI.

She was not.

Cortana flicked on the Spartans' private COM and said, "Ten minutes to the drop zone, begin final preparations now." Epheria caught on and used the natural abilities of her present residence to make it so.

"If you can do that, why can't you just warp all of the gear onto the dropship for us?"

_“Lazy bones.”_

* * *

 

Their exit from Slipspace was bone-jarring, teeth-rattling, and utterly disorienting. For all of their reinforcements, they could to nothing to smooth the ride, and the dropship inverted, rolled, and spun out of control with every quantum filament that they passed through. The Spartans hung on to their quick-release harnesses for dear life, hoping that none of the straps broke in the event of the dropship throwing their full weight on it. One of the beams welded to the hull snapped and sprayed a handful of incredibly sharp slivers that embedded themselves in the hull perilously close to Linda's head. The whole of the dropship was dark; the only light provided came from their helmet lamps, and they had long since turned them off, the jarring of the beams of light playing havoc with their vision.

Blue and Black Teams' vital signs were erratic, the Senior Chief noted when he pulled them up on his display, but well within normal parameters, and the radiation leaking into the lead-lined hull was livable. For now. Epheria had told them that given the shortened nature of their transition, the radiation levels would not be fatal or dangerous in any way at all, and her words were holding true at the moment. Just then, the dropship jerked violently and sent Fred spilling forward, his movement arrested by the harness but head slamming against the inside front of his helmet. Another jolt slammed his head against the back of his helmet, and clinging blackness clouded his vision for an indeterminate amount of time before the whispers of Cortana's copy pulled him from unconsciousness.

His biosigns pulsed sluggishly on the inside of his visor, but there were no detected injuries, though his whole body ached as if he'd just been run over by a steamroller. The rest of his team hung limp in their harnesses, still out of it, and Epheria's Shard went floating past his head, the goddess doing a very good impression of freestyle swimming while she drifted by. He reached up and caught her, and she condensed herself back into a seamless crystal, which he promptly slotted back into the pouch it had escaped from. Once he'd woken up the rest of the Spartan assault team, Cortana's copy said, "Large volume of COM traffic detected, F- through K-bands. Received three hails so far."

"How can you pick up anything? The hull's been line with lead."

"Numerous breaches detected. COM traffic is also unusually strong, indicating a close proximity to sender." Her voice was terse, her words short and to the point. "Awaiting orders."

"Stand by." He moved to the portside hatch and eased it open manually. At first his vision was obscured by the hull of an immense frigate, the silver-blue hull reflecting an unknown source of light, but it moved aside, engine cones seething blue fire – letting him see the rest of them. "How many?" He asked the AI fragment in his neural lace.

"Two hundred and forty-seven warships," she said after a moment, "Estimates of the total population based on your limited field of vision bring the numbers to approximately five hundred ships."

For an instant, all of the Spartans' minds bore the same thought: five _hundred?_ There – there was no way humanity could survive that. The Covenant's opening shots would obliterate Earth and all of its defenses; humanity would be wiped from the face of the universe. The aliens had never gathered in such for before, but they had seen this kind of destructive power before: Halo. Halo and the Flood. Fred clenched a fist, and Epheria chose that moment to speak. _We have a fool-proof plan, you lot. You've stopped this kind of force before, and you can bloody well do it again._

Her slightly rough words enabled them to gather their courage, and Fred spoke to the construct in his head. "You said they've pinged us three times?"

"Affirmative."

"Tell them that our engines are crippled on we need assistance to move. Let's see if we can get them to take up to the _Unyielding Hierophant_ for repairs." He moved back from the hatch and closed it, turning to find his gun. Kelly handed it to him, and all of them ran checks on their armor and weapons while they waited for the ferry that Cortana said was on its way. The dropship jolted in a less severe version of their Slipspace journey when the ferry docked with them, and Fred again moved to the hatch where he had assessed the size of the Covenant fleet, feeding a fiber-optic camera through a miniscule crack in the hull.

The transport was taking them toward a ship that looked like two teardrops had fused together in the middle, creating a figure eight like ship, and a strange ring rotated around the point of connection, connected to the ship itself by featherlike tendrils. There were Covenant ships docked on the ring that looked like toy baubles next to the station, making him realize that it could not be anything but the _Unyielding Hierophant_. The station was far larger than estimate, at _least_ thirty kilometers long if not more, and housed who-knows-how-many soldiers. If it got to Earth…

He moved away from the hatch, and gravity pulled them to the floor a few minutes later, atmosphere hissing into their ship through the cracks. He gestured; Black Team moved to cover the starboard hatch while Blue Team got into position in front of the portside one, and a moment later it squeaked open. An Engineer bobbed in, closely followed by two others, and Fred signaled for the Spartans to stand down; they were no threat so long as they were left to their work. There was no one outside but more Engineers, so they quickly took cover in a catwalk overhead, leaving the Covenant scientists to do their job with single-minded intensity. The Spartans swept the bay for any immediate threats and found only two Grunts pushing barrels of coolant. They had no weapons and would be easy to avoid, so they let them be; their disappearance would be noticed.

Linda spotted a holopanel and covered Fred with Will's help while he made for it, quickly inserting Cortana's cartridge into it and darting back behind a plasma coil the size of a Warthog. "I'm in," the construct said over the COM, "I've secured and encrypted both the intra-team COM and this channel."

"Good work. Where's the reactor?"

"Seven kilometers further into the lobe. You will need to take me with you, however; the reactor console is isolated. I can create a copy of myself to remain in the system, but it will have potentially severe aberrations that I cannot correct."

"That's a risk we'll have to take." Twenty seconds later, they were darting through a hatch and following Cortana's instructions to the reactors. Meanwhile, on another encrypted channel, the copy was sending every scrap of information she could get her data packets on to the original Cortana, specifically looking for Forerunner references to _his_ existence in history files and vids. There were a few taunting hints – "the Cursed Warrior," "the Dark One," – but nothing solid. It appeared that any data on him would have been taken with the Forerunners when they left the galaxy, the residual data never to be found, or John had taken it with him. She could understand why he went to such lengths to hide his existence, however, even staying continuously cloaked; time paradoxes were not fun by any means.

Linda scurried up a concealed ladder to a roof where she could cover them, and the remainder of the two teams sped across the open space leading to the reactor that was their target, using the carved columns at the entrance for cover. One of the now rather numerous Cortanas in the station's systems alerted them to the presence of the Brutes via a pre-recorded message from the original, alerting them to the danger as well as the similarities to humanity. Provided Kelly could stay out of their reach, she told them, they should be able to sneak up on them and slit their throats from behind, though they were likely to be wearing power armor and have shields.

Fred was the first to catch sight of the beasts; they were taller than Elites and only had one jaw like humans did. They seemed like an under-evolved version of humanity, explaining why the copy had likened them to humans, and were covered in thin hair in a similar manner. Their appearance made Epheria speak for the first time since they had arrived on the station: _You shoot. I'll make sure the bullets hit their targets._ The Spartans obliged her, unlimbering the weapons that they'd slung to make their speedy way across the open gallery in the station, bringing the barrels of their assault rifles to bear on the beasts even as they crept closer in the shadows. No doubt their cover had already been blown by the handful of Grunts they'd been forced to kill along the way, their corpses left on the metal plates making up the floor a ways back, which meant that there was really no reason not to gun them down.

They opened fire, visibly saw the paths of some bullets curve in the direction of the Brutes; each slug penetrated a weak point on their armor and sent the corpses sprawling backward with the translation of momentum and lack of resistance. One of the Brutes who was slower to die growled fiercely and charged them in a red-eyed rage, and the Spartans dove out of the way, turning their weapons on the beast when it passed between them. The goddess' unfailing accuracy ensured that it was killed instantly, enabling them to proceed through a passage way meant for Engineers and rappel down to the floor when the hall terminated abruptly.

The reactor itself was an impressive complex of five hundred and twelve smaller reactors joined together, each one the size of a Pelican and aligned in perfect rows and columns eight deep. They glowed a seemingly benign blue, but that just meant that they were high-voltage producers. Cortana directed them to the console at the base of the immense cube of reactors, and Fred slotted her in; shortly after, she spoke. "I'm in. There are very few counter-intrusion measures in this part of the station, and I can proceed with the overload whenever you'd like. Keep in mind that it will take ten minutes for the whole thing to blow, however."

Fred looked down at the pouch holding the Shard. "Epheria? How are you getting us out?"

 _The closer you are to the final destination, the less likely it is that there could be negative effects. I recommend starting the overload now and proceeding back out to the launch bay where you entered. Cortana's copies can simulate an image of me connected to a detonator somewhere along the hull of the_ Hierophant _to lure the ships in so that they'll be totaled by the ensuing explosion._ The Spartans agreed, let Cortana's copy scan the crystal, and headed back out into the station at large. There were numerous Banshees circling overhead, Elites and Grunts sprinting all over the area, and the goddess shouted at them to “just go already” when they paused to get their bearings. Every second they dallied was one second closer to oblivion, and they broke out across into the open, their weapons at the ready. Nothing was going to stand in between them and escape. Their infamous sniper joined them on the way, and they could hear hundreds of Cortana copies repeating system error codes over the radio as they wove through the tunnels to the main bay where they had entered.

5:12.

The eight warriors ducked and dodged and returned fire on the Elites that followed them out to the repair bay, and Epheria said abruptly, _Okay, change of plans. Too many Cortanas to do anything and succeed with it, so I need you to get me out into the open. Just set me on the ground in clear view and keep fighting; I'll do the rest._

Fred did as she asked and kept up a steady stream of fire on the Covenant trying to overwhelm their position. He was vaguely aware of Epheria calling out in perfectly simulated fear, speaking in a foreign tongue that they could not understand, but the Covenant reacted to her. Instantly, distant carriers seen through the force field that kept the atmosphere in the bay turned toward the _Hierophant_ and began accelerating in their direction, and more Covenant spilled into the bay. "What did you tell them?" he barked at her as he lobbed a grenade over their plasma coil barricade, crouching to prevent any potential shrapnel from injuring him.

_Just that I had been captured by monsters and forced to help you and that I needed someone to rescue me. Though the more accurate translation is "Demons." I also told them that you were blessed by my enemies and could not be overcome unless the whole of the fleet banded together._

"So what do we do to get out?"

2:09.

_We wait._

1:57.

The Spartans abandoned their assault rifles in favor of the Covenant plasma weapons when they ran out of ammunition and hosed plasma fire at those who were brave enough – or stupid enough – to charge them in an attempt to take them out by themselves. The Elites were refusing to use grenades so close to the "holy light" for fear that they explosion would damage the Shard itself.

0:45.

The Covenant warships crowded around that section of the station, dispatching Elites with jet packs and countless dropships in their direction.

0:26.

"This is getting to be all too common."

0:19.

_And here…_

0:12.

_…we…_

0:09.

_…go._

0:05.

The fabric of space and time rippled violently; this time the group actually _saw_ the location they needed to go to being pulled towards them, the rest of space folding away out of sight somewhere "below" them, and Fred scooped up the Shard and ran like hell for the safety of the Gettysburg mess hall ten feet away, fighting the urge to vomit at the unnatural sight. The second after the last Spartan, Arthur, made it into the mess hall, Epheria let space smooth itself out again with an almost audible snap as it returned to its normal plane state.

0:00.

The explosion of the _Unyielding Hierophant_ in the depths of space was utterly silent but viewed by all via a single Clarion spy drone hovering just outside of the moon's shadow. Immense arcs of red-orange flame claimed ships that had been outside the blast radius and left others adrift, dead in space. There were perhaps a dozen surviving cruisers, those who had been unable to get close enough to the _Hierophant_ to discharge the passengers that were oh-so-eager to begin their Great Journey.

Their time would come.

Instead of pursuing the remainder, the humans set a course for home.

* * *

… _enslave the Forerunners and humans … for the crimes of their ancestors…_

Well, that was about as clear as the mysterious message was going to get. John rose from behind his desk, silently calling for the Terrible Twins, and they materialized at his side when he exited his office. "Tell me something," he told the strangely serious pair while they paced along behind him, "I need to know if there are any races of slavers out there who would hold a grudge against the Forerunners."

"The P'Vort," Venera said instantly, "They're a race of psy-enabled warriors who tried to enslave the Milky Way while we were the dominant empire."

"We beat them, obviously," Kenera added, "but there are no records about them if they attacked the Precursors. Why do you ask?"

"I think they're going after humanity now."

[ROGUE PROCESS x.X.x ERROR-ghost117]: _/End log: OPERATION: First Strike. /Begin log: Installation Zero-Five._

* * *

 

 _I fear who I am becoming,_  
I feel that I am losing  
The struggle within.  
I can no longer restrain it,  
My strength it is fading,  
I have to give in.

\- "It's the Fear," Within Temptation ( _The Silent Force_ )


	12. Eleven: Cairo Station

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Master Chief is not actually in this chapter. Has anyone seen him?

Their return home was extremely uneventful, but only in the sense that Epheria extended the time so that they could search for tracking devices and kill or capture all of the Covenant still onboard. Once both of these things were completed, they dropped out of Slipspace at the edge of the Sol System and immediately transmitted a message to the nearest human outpost with a request for an audience. After proving that they were in fact human and that they had in fact performed an exhaustive search of their Covenant ship, scientists and ONI spooks were all over their ship, and the crew themselves were hauled off for an almost insanely long debriefing. It was during that debriefing that ONI learned of the Gravemind and its words, and they were questioned extensively on it.

However, only Halsey realized enough to put the pieces together.

* * *

“Who as he looking at when he spoke?”

“It was hard to tell with that active camo of his, but I think he was looking at Yellow Team.”

Later, inside her office, Halsey pondered the words of the Gravemind. ‘A “her” that has sins… probably to do with the Spartans. But the only one who qualifies for that is me.’ Her eyes widened. ‘”I am a monument to all her sins.” And if the ‘her’ is me, and the Spartans are monuments to my sins… does that mean that he is a Spartan? But all of them are accounted for!’ The next thing she knew, the door to Epheria’s holding chamber had opened up in front of her, and she stepped inside, the goddess turning to look at her.

_“Well? You need something?”_

“The Gravemind… he’s a Spartan, isn’t he?”

Epheria blinked in shock. “ _Wow. I wasn’t expecting someone to figure that out so quickly. Yes, he is.”_

“How is that possible?”

_“He came here from an alternate universe, and that’s all I’m going to tell you.”_

* * *

Upon learning that the Covenant knew the location of Earth and being presented with the data that confirmed the claim, the Spartans were required to remain on Earth in its defense.

More specifically, they were dispatched to New Mombasa, which was where the exact spacial coordinates would have brought the Covenant.

Epheria, too, was questioned by ONI once they learned about her, and when they asked to study her, she said, “ _Yes, you can, but only so long as I get out when the next wave pops up. I’ve had more fun gallivanting around the universe with the Spartans for the past week than in the last hundred thousand years, and if you think that you’re going to be able to_ keep _me in a box, you’ve got another thing coming.”_

And that was that.

* * *

“The plating was about to fail, there’s viscosity throughout the gel layer.” The master gunnery sergeant picked up a piece of machinery from the Spartan’s old armor. “Optics – totally fried. And let’s not even talk about the power supply. Do you know how expensive this gear is, son?”

Fred picked up his brand new helmet and put it on, the airtight seal hissing closed. “Tell that to the Covenant.”

The sergeant sighed. “Well, I guess it was all obsolete any way. You’re new suit’s a Mark VI, just came up from Songam this morning. Try and take it easy until you get used to the upgrades.” He ran the Spartan through targeting and shield testing and was just about to proceed to weapons testing when Sergeant Johnson arrived via the lift. Linda, Sam, and Kelly remained on the elevator, but the redhead lifted her hand to give the fourth Spartan an informal salute. The two sergeants exchanged some witty banter before Johnson asked, “Are you done with my boy here, Master Guns? I don’t see any training wheels…”

“His armor’s workin’ fine, Johnson, so shut your chili hole.” To the Senior Chief, “You’re free to go, son, but just remember to take things slow.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold his hand.”

With a sudden “va–WOOP!” noise, Epheria appeared on a nearby console and assumed a dramatic pose. “ _I’m here! Did I miss anything?”_

“No.” Fred sighed and shook his head; for a goddess, she was certainly not what any of them expected. He scooped her up and followed Johnson back to the lift, where he swiped a Spartan smile at the other three. They returned the gesture.

“So, Johnson, when are you gonna tell me how you made it back home in one piece?”

“Sorry, Guns, it’s classified.”

“Huh, my ass! Well, you can forget about those adjustments to your A-2…”

The elevator’s ascent cut off the other sergeant’s words, and Johnson grunted, “Well he’s in a particularly fine mood. Maybe Lord Hood didn’t give him any ‘attention.’”

The elevator halted its ascent and disgorged its passengers onto a transportation station, where a monorail waited to continue them on their short journey to Lord Hood. Beyond the platform and through the windows, the four Spartans could see another handful of orbital defense platforms and the ships moving between the surface and the moon bases somewhere above. The whole planet was awash with light and color, splashes of tan in the midst of all the green, ripples of turquoise in the deep blue seas. “Earth,” Johnson said, “Haven’t seen it in years.”

Epheria didn’t pay attention to the sergeant’s little spiel on the orbital defense grid, instead focusing on the planet below. It had changed so much since she had seen it last, more than a hundred and ten thousand years ago now, and the Forerunner descendants on it were no longer primitive cavemen without fire or tools. They had grown and learned swiftly, just as their ancestors had in the wake of the Precursor Empire’s collapse, and their unintentional exile had helped them to spread without fear.

“…nothing’s getting past this battle cluster in one piece.”

 _‘Famous last words,’_ Epheria thought to herself, _‘Considering the fact that the_ Athens _and the_ Malta _are going to get blown up.’_

“Ships have been arriving all morning,” Johnson said as the monorail began to slow, “Nobody’s saying much, but I bet something big’s about to happen.”

The transport halted at a bridge, where some Marines waited for them, cheering, and two naval officers guarded the blast door on the far side. The group stepped out, and Linda growled at Johnson, “You told us there wouldn’t be any cameras.”

“And you told me you were gonna wear somethin’ nice,” he shot right back, “Folks need heroes, gang, to give ‘em hope. So _smile_ , would ya, while we still got somethin’ to smile about.” He self-consciously adjusted his hat before the doors hissed open to admit them. They strode smartly over to where Lord Hood was waiting for them and gave crisp salutes, which the Admiral returned.

“Gentlemen, ladies, we’re lucky to have you back.” Another officer in white stepped over to whisper in his ear, and Lord Hood looked over at the holopanel eight feet away. “Go ahead, Cortana.”

The holopanel’s top brightened, letting the artificial intelligence’s brilliant crimson avatar appear on top of it. “Another whisper, sir, near Io. We have probes en-route.” She seemed to be in an good mood, had been since their time on the Halo.

Hood nodded, then spoke to the humans. “I apologize, but we’re going to have to make this quick.”

Cortana turned her gaze to the Spartans and Johnson, cocked her head slightly, and only Epheria saw the mischief in her eyes. “You look nice,” she told them.

“Thanks,” the Spartans said. At the same time, Johnson said, “Thank you,” and that made them turn to glare at one another. The construct started snickering but kept it quiet while Lord Hood presented Johnson with the Colonial Cross, keeping an eye on the Covenant ships that Regret was commanding.

“Rear Admiral Jacob Keyes, your actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service. Your bravery in the face of impossible odds reflects great credit upon yourself and the UNSC.” Lord Hood pinned the medal on Keyes’ uniform – just before Cortana sounded the alarm. Both she and Epheria had picked up the ships’ exit from Slipspace.

“Slipspace rupture directly off our battle cluster,” Cortana said calmly as if she had done this a million times before. She brought up the images at Lord Hood’s request. “Fifteen Covenant capital ships holding position just outside the kill zone.” She flipped on the radio so that they could hear the incoming message.

_“This is Fleet Admiral Harper, we are engaging the enemy.”_

“Negative, Admiral,” Hood said firmly, “Form a defensive perimeter around the cluster.” To the two Keyes, “Admiral, Commander, get to your ships, link up with the fleet.” They acknowledged the order and moved off to do so as Hood turned to the construct. “You have the MAC gun, Cortana. As soon as they come in range, open up.”

“Gladly.” Her hologram shimmered and vanished.

“Something’s not right,” Hood said quietly, so that only Johnson and the Spartans could hear, “The fleet that destroyed Reach was fifty times this size.”

One of the other officers hailed for attention. “Sir, additional contacts; boarding craft, and lots of ‘em!”

It clicked. “They’re going to try and take our MAC guns offline, give their capital ships a straight shot at Earth.” He turned away from the screen. “Spartans, defend this station.”

“Yes, sir.” To Johnson, “We need weapons.”

“Right this way.” They followed Johnson down a flight of stairs and grabbed sub-machine guns and battle rifles from wall brackets, swiftly loading them as they moved through a short hall to a monitoring room. “How’s it going, _Malta_?”

 _“Stand by… They’re latched! Check your targets and watch for cross-fire. They’re in standard formation, little bastards in front, big ones in back. Good luck,_ Cairo _.”_

Through one of the windows facing away from the MAC gun, they saw the boarding craft zoom in close and “dock” with the station, and the term was used very loosely; they simply drilled a hole in the hull and sealed their ship around it. The platform shuddered as they did so, and Johnson growled, “Field of fire on that bulkhead.” The Spartans took cover behind portable barricades set up especially for them and leveled their weapons at the blast door, and they could see the unmistakable glow of a cutting torch coming through.

Fifteen seconds later, a small eternity for the Spartans, the blast door exploded outward, peppering the humans with shrapnel. Unggoy swarmed out of the opening, firing their plasma pistols, and their leaders were right behind them. The three-round bursts fired by the Spartans’ battle rifles and longer streams of bullets from the sub-machine guns were sufficient to take down the attackers and the two Elites who jumped down from above.

After making sure that every corpse was just that, the team continued on, rounding the corner and coming upon the rest of the boarding party. Two well placed grenades killed the Grunts and drove the Elites from cover, enabling them to get pumped full of lead by both the super soldiers and a pair of humans with a machine gun turret concealed below a stairwell. The Spartans headed up and through a set of doors to a research station. There were two turrets, one mounted in either “window,” and a pair of the Spartans manned them while the other two dropped to the floor of one of the _Cairo_ ’s habitats. They took cover behind the raised plant beds and fired on the especially brave (or stupid) Elites holding the midway point in the habitat. The bodies dropped, and the two below split up to kill the Grunts hiding in the recessed pathways, the turrets providing cover fire. When the area was clear, the Spartans and a handful of formally-dressed naval personnel proceeded up another set of stairs into a Pelican bay, where a handful of Marines were holding position against a Covenant boarding party.

There were grenades on the floor; Kelly scooped one up, ignited it, and hurled it across the room; it stuck to the helmet of one of the Elites and exploded, killing the alien and the clutch of Grunts surrounding it. Sam shot the remaining Unggoy and moved over with the others to join the Marines in staving off more assaults. Three waves later, one of the Marines noticed something beyond the _Cairo_ : “Hey! The _Malta_ ’s already driven off its boarders!” Indeed, when they looked toward the platform, they could see boarding parties racing away from the station like the Devil himself was after them.

Almost immediately, Cortana came over the COM; “ _Malta_ , what’s your status, over.”

_“I don’t believe it! They’re retreating; we won!”_

And then explosions began rippling the length of the orbital platform right before it detonated from within. The Spartans couldn’t help but be thankful that none of their brothers and sisters had been on the orbital defense gun.

“This is bad,” one of the Marines called, “Real bad.”

The shockwave of the explosion reached them then, made the _Cairo_ shudder beneath their feet as they moved to kill the Covenant that had just entered the Pelican bay, and the Marines high-tailed it after the Spartans. In the next bay, the Covenant had set up some plasma turrets on an upper level, and Linda, ever the expert, dropped to one knee so she could take out the Grunts manning them with two three-round bursts from her battle rifle. There was another boarding craft in this room, too, and the Spartans took to chucking grenades just below the opening when troops came tumbling out, saving them some ammo.

“Uh-oh. Hey, they’re leaving the _Athens_.” And then that platform exploded, too, the shockwave shaking the _Cairo_ seconds later.

“Cortana! Assessment!” Lord Hood barked over the COM.

“That explosion came from inside the _Athens_ , same as the _Malta_. The Covenant must have brought something with them: a bomb.”

 _“Someone set us up the bomb!”_ said Epheria.

Amidst Cortana’s laughter, Lord Hood said, “Then they sure as hell brought one here. Spartans, find it.”

The foursome flashed an acknowledgement at them and split up to move below, slaying the Covenant that had taken up residence there before heading up the opposite stairs. Through a grating they could see that they were back in Master Guns’ armory, and they heard him growl, “Get the hell out of my armory, split-lip!” right before he was gunned down by plasma fire. They used the cover provided by the recessed stairwell to pump the two Elites full of lead before taking their positions by the blast door as a clutch of Grunts advanced on their position. They were much easier to kill than their leader, who kept ducking behind the plant beds until Kelly slipped around and snapped his neck from behind. Once again, Linda claimed the lives of the Unggoy manning the plasma turrets set up farther in, and they advanced through the habitat, up another set of stairs, through the research facility beyond, and down yet another set of stairs, gunning down anything that got in their way.

They arrived in a long hall with cargo modules being used as over by Commander Keyes, Sergeant Johnson, and a handful of naval personnel with them. By way of an explanation, Miranda said, “I was almost onboard when they showed up.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am; we’re on it,” Johnson replied as he moved forward with the Spartans, and they took aim at different targets, firing in almost perfect synch. The bodies toppled, and they moved up again, gunning for the fresh troops that had turned a corner and entered their field of fire.

“Thanks, Spartans. I owe you one,” Miranda called after them, and Fred waved her off as they moved out of view. They went out the way the second wave came in, and the door sealed behind them, air hissing out as the room depressurized before the airlock in front of them unsealed, revealing a pair of surprised Elites. Kelly lunged forward, managed to snap one’s neck before they could react, and the second activated his jetpack, getting himself as far away from the Spartans as he could and still have them in range of fire. Of course, that meant that he was in range of their weapons, too; despite the pull of Earth’s gravity, there was no air resistance to slow the bullets Linda pumped into its body, and it crashed to the deck. They moved one and found a third hovering above them but ignored him, racing easily across the decks despite the minimal gravity and ducking through another airlock with a few parting shots.

Lord Hood ordered them to get rid of the bomb in the fire control center, so they would. There was an elevator in the next room that would take them to another elevator to the fire control center, and they joined the Marines covering the top level. Their SMG’s proved to be very effective against the drones that swarmed up from below, firing on them with plasma pistols, and a moment later, Cortana called, “I’m going loud!” Beyond the glass, they saw the MAC gun’s parts shift into position and begin launching the gun’s massive slugs at the carriers somewhere above them.

The lift coming up from below ground to a halt level with them, the Covenant in control. Sam threw a grenade with uncanny accuracy, impacting on a central alien’s midsection and blowing a good half of them to bits. The remaining were Grunts, and they had clearly lost courage with the death of their leader, making it easy to gun them down.

Once again, they headed through an airlock and encountered Elites with jetpacks, but they had a plasma turret with them; Fred, Kelly, and Sam advanced to give Linda cover so she could take out the alien manning the turret. They encountered no more resistance on their way to the supply lift, but it was a tight fit for all of them to get packed into the small space. Cortana chuckled at their expense, then said, “Just so you know, there are quite a few Elites guarding the bomb. You may need to get creative.”

“Quite a few” turned out being not as many as they expected, and Sam and Kelly ducked across to the other side of the MAC loader platform to give the Spartans the advantage of cornering their opponent. Though the needlers one of the Majors carried was hell on the humans’ shields, they were able to take him out first, then chase down all of the Minors that he had with him. Cortana appeared over the holopanel next to the bomb and said, “Me inside your head, NOW.”

Fred laid a hand across the panel, enabling her to sort herself into his armor through the holoscan on his palm, before he moved over and did the same to the bomb, which was whistling with a slowly increasing intensity. Half a second passed, then it beeped benignly and stopped, assuming an inactive state. “How much time was left?” he asked her.

“You don’t want to know.”

 _“_ Cairo, _this is_ In Amber Clad _. The carrier’s shield is down. I’m in position and ready for immediate assault.”_ It was Miranda Keyes; she’d made it to her ship unharmed.

“Negative, Commander; not against a ship that size. Not on your own,” Lord Hood told her.

“Sir,” Fred interjected, “Permission to leave the station.”

“For what purpose, Senior Chief.”

“To give the Covenant back their bomb.”

“Permission granted.”

The other Spartans helped Fred haul the immense explosive device back to the lift and assured him that they would catch a Pelican, join him down at the surface as soon as possible. The door slid closed between them, and Spartan and bomb began to descend to the lowest level of airlocks. “I know what you’re thinking,” Cortana said to him, “and it’s crazy.”

“So, stay here.”

“Unfortunately for us both, I like crazy.” She dropped her voice and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, “But I like crazy all the more when I’m with _him_.” Fred ignored her comment in favor of hauling the bomb out of the lift when the door slid open, and he moved over to the airlock door to see how the battle was going and all potential targets. A Seraph raced by, chased by two Longswords as Cortana pulled up a nav point on his HUD, and he nodded in consensus before sprinting back to the airlock controls, determined not to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. “Just one question,” the construct said as her prepared to pull the handle, “What if you miss?”

“I won’t,” he said bluntly, then opened the airlock. He instantly felt the fierce tugging of the escaping atmosphere and grabbed onto one of the bomb’s spikes as it went sliding past, out into the abyss of space. He’d timed it perfectly; the carrier was directly below him as he fell, and a UNSC ship glided precariously close before it was crippled by the carrier’s plasma weapons. A pair of Longswords dropped in as an advance escort while the UNSC ship futilely fired its engines; the two fighters unleashed a small hail of carpet bombs on part of the carrier to open it up for the Spartan before swooping away to continue their work elsewhere. He carefully “climbed” his way up the bomb and laid his hand over the input, letting Cortana restart the countdown before he shifted position and pushed off of the explosive, using the forward momentum to make it out through the hole the Longswords blew in the carrier.

The Covenant warship exploded in plumes of silver-white as he dropped toward Earth.

* * *

There was a heavy clang of metal on metal somewhere overhead, making both Johnson and Miranda look up. “For a brick, he flew pretty good,” the former commented, bringing an amused smile to the latter’s lips.

“Chief, get inside, gear up. We’re taking this fight to the surface.”

* * *

_It's the fear_  
Fear of the darkness  
Growing inside of me,  
That one day will come to life.  
(Have to save)  
To save my beloved,  
_There is no escape,_  
Because my fate is horror and doom.

-“It’s the Fear,” Within Temptation ( _The Silent Force_ )


	13. Twelve: Outskirts (They'll Regret That, Too)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halo is sponsored by Halo's. They're Halo-licious.

_In Amber Clad_ shifted into a geosynchronous low-altitude orbit above Earth, enabling the Pelicans carrying the Spartans and Marines to exit the ship in-atmosphere on their way to the surface. “The message just repeats,” Cortana said over the TEAMCOM so that everyone could hear her, “Regret, Regret, Regret.”

 _“Catchy,”_ Commander Keyes replied, _“Any idea what it means?”_

Johnson promptly broke onto the channel. _“Dear Humanity, we regret being alien bastards, we regret comin’ to Earth, and we most definitely regret the Corps just blew up our raggedy-ass fleet!”_

“Oo-rah!”

“Regret is a name, Sergeant,” Cortana said with a tone that could have been interpreted as an adult speaking indulgently to a child, “the name of one of the Covenant’s religious leaders, a Prophet. He’s on that carrier, and he’s calling for help.”

One of the sniper outposts in the city hailed for the attention of the Pelicans as they flew by, intent upon beginning their insertion. _“Immediate, grid kilo-two-three is hot. Recommend mission abort.”_

“Roger, recon,” the pilot of their Pelican said over the COM. Then, to Johnson, “It’s your call, Sarge.”

Johnson was silent for a moment, then said, “We’re going in. Get tactical, Marines!”

 _“Spartans, get aboard that carrier, secure the Prophet of Regret,”_ Lord Hood ordered over the COM lines while the warriors checked their weapons and gear, _“This is the only place on Earth the Covenant decided to land, and that Prophet is going to tell us why.”_

“Thirty seconds out,” the pilot said, “Stand by to – whoa.”

An immense, four-legged Covenant _thing_ dominated the skyline, turning to face them. Its body was a soft purple, but the gun at its front glowed a livid green as it prepared to fire on them. One of its feet crushed a car on the highway as it got into position, protective flaps folding away from the discharge zone as power began to build. It fired a long stream of green plasma at one of the Pelicans and downed it while its dorsal turret fired on the remaining two. Their Pelican flipped and went skidding across a rooftop before tumbling into a courtyard out of sight, sending everyone onboard into temporary unconsciousness.

* * *

“Hey.” Cortana played a sound that was like someone tapping on glass. “Wake up.”

Fred blinked to clear his head, shook himself slightly and briefly glanced around in a short check on the other survivors, pleased to see that the Spartans were among them. Of course, that was all but assured with Epheria running around with them. Speaking of whom…

_“Down here, dude. Nice ass, by the way.”_

The Spartan whirled around and looked down; she had fallen out of the custom-fitted holster on his hip some time during their crash, so he scooped her up, ignoring her comment in favor of putting her back inside. She giggled and peered over the edge at their surroundings, taking note of the fact that the Pelican had collapsed someone’s roof. “ _I hope they have insurance.”_ Once again, Fred ignored her in favor of moving through a doorway in front of them, taking point in their little ragtag group of survivors and shooting the Grunt in the next room before it could call for help.

They emerged into the courtyard beyond and took cover behind more decorative plant beds, peeking over the top and firing on the Jackals on the far side and the Grunts trying to hide behind ruined pillars. The group moved in, and the Spartans thundered up a set of stairs in a relatively intact building, engaging the Elite and pair of Grunts that came out to greet them. There had apparently been some defenders there prior to their arrival; there was a small machine gun turret set up along one wall with a couple abandoned weapons lying strewn about.

Everyone had just gotten into position when some more Covenant emerged from an alley and began firing on them, but the humans had the advantage of high ground and cover and used it to the fullest. A particularly brave Elite fired on them from atop building across the way, but that made him a target for Linda’s superb sniper rifle; she also took out the leader of the next troop of aliens that spilled from an alley, sending the Grunts into conniptions of terror.

More Jackals emerged from the passage they had used to enter the courtyard, and a well placed grenade was able to kill two and send a cargo module toppling over to take another pair. The only remaining bird-like alien and its Elite leader didn’t put up much of a fight after that, and when the Drones flew in over the rooftops, they ran into a hail of bullets and started flying like lead balloons.

Which is to say, they didn’t fly at all.

Another two waves of Jackals followed, along with a drop from a Phantom, but they went the way of those who came before, what with the Spartans opposing them. A Pelican flew in overhead and hovered there for a moment; _“My girl’s a little big for that courtyard, Sergeant. I see a good L-Z on the other side of these buildings. Meet you there, over.”_

“Copy that,” Johnson replied, “Someone get a satchel on the gate.”

The Spartans moved over to take cover behind a large UNSC cargo module, all guns trained on the gate; they had not lived this long by trusting that there would not be Covenant on the other side. A clank of metal on metal and a plume of dust proved them correct, and a second later the doors slammed outward and collapsed to the street, permitting a pair of Hunters to waltz into the courtyard. The worm colonies immediately hunched over to protect their vulnerable stomachs, leaving their backs wide open. By unspoken consent, the Spartan team split into two groups of two, and each group went after one of the Hunters; their only difficulty was that they had to avoid shooting whoever was the ‘rabbit’ at any given time.

When the behemoths were dead, they moved over to the opening that the Hunters had provided for them. “Second squad, this is Cortana. What is your status? Over.”

_“We’re operational, ma’am, barely. Our pilot didn’t make it.”_

Cortana processed for a second, then replied, “Find a hole, stay put. We’ll come to you.” The second squad’s leader acknowledged her and snapped off the radio. The Spartans took point and followed the passage cleared by the Hunters to an open stretch of land between the buildings. There was a squad of Jackals on the other side, including one with a beam rifle concealed in the shadows of a ruined building; Linda got it right between the eyes, enabling the humans to move forward and take the rest out. Just as they crossed the gulf between the buildings – probably caused by the Scarab – a Pelican glided in over the buildings and settled down, releasing a few more soldiers to join them.

 _“Sergeant,”_ Miranda Keyes came over the line, _“I need you on that bird.”_

“Ma’am?”

_“My Pelicans are going to start airlifting armor and reinforcements into the city. They’ll need an escort that isn’t afraid of a little hostile ground fire.”_

Johnson sighed. “Understood, I’ll keep an eye on them. Spartans, good luck.” The Sergeant hopped up into the Pelican, and it lifted off, heading out over the city.

The warriors continued through another short passage and paused at the entrance to what appeared to be a market and apartment complex that was now crawling with Jackals. Those who still had them switched to battle rifles for close range shots, letting their lone wolf take out the snipers hiding up top in the ruins while they made for the ground-level aliens. They hit a snag, however, when more Drones came soaring over the rooftops to back up the Jackals; they lost two of their Marines to the deadly hail of plasma fire that followed before they were able to rout the aliens and send them scurrying with their tails between their legs.

They split up and moved down two side alleys, meeting and overcoming the enemy squads they encountered there, looping around one side to find themselves in front of the hotel where the second squad had taken cover from the Covenant.

“Spartans, glad you could make it,” said the Marine from the radio, “Crash site’s on the other side of this hotel; Covenant are crawling all over it. Follow me.” The warriors switched on their external lamps and moved after the Marine, heading down the dark hall that led to the other side. They were halfway down when the glow of plasma fire alerted them to the presence of the Covenant soldiers they had been warned about, and they quickly ducked into the inset doorframes, peering around the corner with grenades already in hand. Two Elites were the first to enter the hall from the opposite side, their Grunts trailing after them; the first grenade stuck to one of the Elites’ helmets and blew his head apart in an incandescent explosion, and the second sent the remaining one staggering forward into Sam’s grip, enabling him to snap its neck before he hefted his weapon and fired on the Grunts.

Once they were out back, they saw the crash site for the Pelican – and so did a Phantom, apparently; it dropped its load of soldiers onto a nearby platform and glided off, leaving them to clean up the mess. The last alien had just been gunned down when two Warthogs sped up, the Marines in them hopping out to let the Spartans take over, two to a LRV, and they’re off down the beach, Cortana talking in their ears. “The highest concentration of Covenant troops is directly below the carrier,” she said, “I don’t think they want you to get onboard. That bridge is the most direct route to the city center.”

Some bright spark had set up a small anti-air gun just around the corner, and though they didn’t actually have time to go through and kill all of the aliens manning it, those on the turrets did make it a point to fire on the enemy until they were out of sight around another bend. There was another anti-air gun set up, this one with three Ghosts guarding it, and Sam and Kelly targeted them to the best of their ability; if a plasma round hit the right place, they were done for. They followed the curve of the beach over a reinforced concrete divider – and right into the middle of a fight between some UNSC personnel and more Elites on Ghosts, so of course they stopped to help. As a result, they were able to ammo up and gather some rocket launchers for use against any tanks they might run across.

Something – likely the Scarab – had blown open the side of the tunnel leading out across the water, and the Spartans used that as an entrance, leading the way for the Marines that had hijacked all of the unoccupied Ghosts following their alien riders’ demise. “This tunnel links up to the bridge,” Cortana told them, “It’s full of rats, if you know what I mean, but it beats swimming.” They followed the tunnel, weaving their way around sealed doors and blocked passages as the AI continued to speak. “I’ve been analyzing the Covenant tactical chatter. They’re surprised, confused; I don’t think they expected us to be here. Not you and me; all of us. _Humanity_ on _Earth_. Odd, I know, but it does help explain why they came here with such a small fleet.”

The soldiers encountered some Drones in the tunnel, following a slight upturned section of road, but the LAAGs filled the air with bullets, sending the flying bugs crumpling to the ground. There were numerous barricades in their way, futile attempts on the Covenant’s part to stop them from entering the city, and the Spartans mowed through the opposition as always. They ran across a section of road that looked like it had been melted from above, and they barely managed to get out of the way in time before the Scarab they were chasing fired through the roof, absolutely annihilating a Warthog that had been harassing it while on the surface. At least they were close; they saw the Scarab walk over the new skylight while on its way to – to somewhere, and they gunned their way through the next barricades.

Surprise, surprise; from one of the offshoots of the highway came the rumbling of an engine, and Gray Team came skidding down into the main thoroughfare, Mike driving with Jai in the passenger seat and Adriana on the turret. They all quickly snapped off acknowledgements to one another and continued on down the line, encountering a group of ground transports that ONI referred to as “Shadows;” Cortana spoke up over the radio: “The Covenant must be trying to regroup. Don’t let them.”

The Warthogs wove in and out and in between the Shadows, those on the turrets shooting the drivers whenever possible, and though they didn’t manage to kill them all, a significant portion of the vehicles were severely damaged when they continued on up through the tunnel and out onto the bridge leading to the center of the city.

* * *

Fred stepped over the legs of an exhausted Marine, who was sitting down against a wall and panting from running so hard in such a short amount of time. His female companion was standing a short distance away, glaring at the back of the retreating Scarab. “It blew right through us,” she told the Spartans without turning to look at them when they came to a stop behind her, “Fifty cal, rockets, didn’t do a thing.”

The roar of the Pelican’s engines alerted them to its approach, and it was unusually heavily laden, not that it couldn’t handle the weight. It swooped overhead and turned slightly to drop off its cargo: an M808 Scorpion Main Battle Tank. Johnson dropped from the transport onto the tank, then jumped to the ground, and the Spartans and Marines moved over to hear what he had to say. “Where’s the rest of your platoon?” he asked the female Marine.

“Wasted, Sarge,” she replied.

“And we will be, too, sir, if we don’t get the hell out of here!” the other Marine said as he got to his feet, gripping his assault rifle tightly. He turned to go, but Johnson grasped his shoulder.

“You hit, Marine?” the Sergeant growled, looking him over at the same time; it was a metaphorical question, but the soldier answered anyway.

“N-no, sir.”

“Then listen up! Usually the good Lord works in mysterious ways, but not today. This here is sixty-six tons of straight-up H-E spewing divine intervention. If God is love, then you can call me Cupid.” His mini-pep talk was very effective in rousing the Marines’ courage.

“What about that Scarab?”

“We’ve all run the simulations! They’re tough, but they ain’t invincible. Stick with the Senior Chief; he’ll know what to do.”

“Yes, sir, Sergeant!”

 _“Thanks for the tank,”_ Cortana said over Fred’s external speakers, _“_ He _never gets me anything.”_

Johnson clambered back into the Pelican and cycled a round into the chain gun mounted in the back. “Oh, I know what the ladies like.”

* * *

 _Hold down your head now,_  
Just let me pass by.   
Don't feed my fear,   
If you don't want it out. 

\- “It’s the Fear,” Within Temptation, ( _The Silent Force_ )


	14. Thirteen: Metropolis (Ladies Like Superior Firepower)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The warriors you are about to read about are trained professionals; do not try this at home.

Fred manned the tank, naturally, and the decision was made to take only two of the three Warthogs with them, letting Johnson take the third back with him. Jai, Mike, and Adriana took up positions on the tank, and the two Marines clambered into the passenger and gunner seats in the Warthog that Fred left to Kelly; Linda and Sam remained on their Warthog. The LRVs served as a kind of advanced guard for the Scorpion, and almost immediately, they encountered resistance from the Covenant on the bridge. A wave of Ghosts charged forward, their Elite drivers eager to kill off the Demons that had terrorized the Covenant so.

Fred began launching rounds at them the moment they came into range, and the three Spartans on the tank used the heat-seeking rocket launchers if they got too close. The tank and its Warthog escort wove through the wreckage of vehicles and barricades that the Scarab left behind when it went on its rampage through the area, and they wiped out the waves of Ghosts that tried to stop them.

There was a Wraith waiting for them at the bridge’s summit, but the plasma bombs it launched missed entirely; the Scorpion was fast enough to evade them, and the Warthogs raced forward to give Fred some cover as he slowly but steadily guided the tank through the burning wreckage he’d made of the Ghosts. When he finally got close enough, he put a round straight through it and blew it to pieces, letting them reach the apex and start down the other side. Their altitude enabled them to get a spectacular yet saddening view of the burning city of New Mombasa, Regret’s carrier hovering over the buildings like some kind of airborne Angel of Death.

They swerved to avoid a hole in the road caused by the Scarab’s prior passage just as a Phantom rushed overhead and fired on them as it receded into the distance. A Marine armed with a rocket launcher ducked out of cover and hopped onto the tank as it trundled past after the first Phantom. A second appeared at the side of the bridge and slowed to begin firing a hail of red plasma bursts at them. Fred launched a handful of shells at it, and it accelerated ahead of them after the first, only to be replaced by a Banshee on the other side. Yet another Phantom fell in behind the Banshee before S-104 shot the smaller craft down, and the violent violet transport fired at them for a bit before continuing on ahead. ‘They were regrouping, exactly as Cortana said,’ Fred thought as he took care of two of the Ghosts waiting for them at the base of the bridge, and as they got closer, those on the turrets were able to gun them down.

“That’s quite a welcome party.”

They saved the rockets for the Banshees that flew in over the buildings and began twisting about in something akin to a formation over the entryway to the next stretch of tunnel; the explosions blew apart vehicles and riders and sent them spinning down to Earth. There was another pair of Ghosts hovering inside the toll station leading to the tunnel, and one managed to avoid the initial shell meant to destroy it but not the rocket that followed. They swept the area before Fred turned off the tank, confident that it was safe for the moment, when a seemingly innocuous hum alerted them to the presence of more Covenant machinery; two Wraiths emerged from the tunnel and lobbed a plasma bomb in his direction.

He got the Scorpion started just in time, and they lurched out of the way before returning fire, the Warthogs already circling around back to get a line on the reactor cover for one of the Wraiths. The scuttling vehicles were very difficult for the Wraiths to turn and attack; they were slow, lumbering, and focusing on the LRVs left them vulnerable to fire from the tank. They were taken out rather quickly, and rather than risk another incident in which they’d be woefully unprepared, Fred drove the tank right down into the tunnel. As a result, they blew through the opposition in the tunnel until they reached another offshoot of the tunnel, another Warthog racing down it to join them. At the far end, there was a raised barrier in the road, forcing them to continue on foot through another short stretch of tunnel. The muzzle flashes from when the Spartans fired at the Covenant played havoc with their night vision, but the aliens screamed and died just the same. The Jackals were easy to see, however; their bright shields were like beacons in the semidarkness, enabling easy kills.

From there, the humans continued through a maintenance access way and up a – there was no other word for it – pipe, and it opened up into a courtyard. In the distance, the Scarab was heading away from them further into the city. Fred gritted his teeth; they were always just a step behind it. He took out his brief burst of frustration on the Jackal perched on the edge of the slight raised stretch of earth ringing the courtyard, and the group swiftly high-tailed it around to a large platform, using it as cover while they advanced down to the floor. A Warthog with a Gauss cannon on the back came swerving out into view, and Sergeant Stacker called, “Could use someone on the gun!”

By unspoken consent, Kelly and Linda jumped down and took up positions on the Sergeant’s Warthog, and within a few passes, they had taken care of the plasma turrets manned by Grunts and the Jackals with beam rifles, leaving the Elites to the other Spartans as they moved ahead to clear the way. A pair of Ghosts slipped in just as the Warthog headed out, but Sam and Fred easily overtook the drivers and provided an escort for the other three Spartans and the Marines that had joined them along the way. There were more Ghosts to hijack in the next courtyard, and the Sergeant and two of the Spartan women were circling a Wraith, firing at its reactor cover. The Ghosts hosed plasma fire at the thick plating of the tank, forcing it to focus on one or the other, and inevitably it blew up under the combined fire.

After that, the Jackals with beam rifles were a walk in the park, and they headed on through an archway to a room with waterfalls covering every free stretch of wall and out into the city proper, where a LAAG Warthog was defending itself from another pair of Ghosts. The floating single-riders were easily disabled by the Gauss cannon and riddled with bullets from the LAAG, killing their drivers and allowing the Spartans to round the corner – and come virtually nose to nose with three Wraiths bombarding a building on the far end of the thoroughfare and their Ghost accompaniment.

“There are a number of Marines trapped in that building, Chief,” Cortana said, “Concentrate on the Wraiths; they’re the biggest threat.”

Whilst the Spartans were doing as she had said, a Phantom swooped in overhead and dropped in another pair of Ghosts virtually on top of them, but the determined soldiers bulled right through them; it would take a lot more than just a handful of vehicles to stop seven stubborn Spartans.

The doors to the building slid open to admit them when the soldiers drove, jogged, and walked up, and one of the Marines stepped forward to greet them. “Sir! Corporal Perez, A-Company! CP’s this way. The Lieutenant got hit as soon as we dropped in.”

As a Pelican dropped off a Scorpion on the road behind them, Cortana asked, “Who’s in charge now, Corporal?”

“Uh, Sergeant Banks, ma’am. He’s pinned down up top. Come on, I’ll show you.” He turned and led them up a set of heavily guarded stairs; just as they reached the top, a beam of green plasma lanced across the far side of the thoroughfare to impact against the buildings there.

The doors slid open in front of them, and Sergeant Banks turned to see who had arrived – and blinked in surprise. “When I asked for reinforcements, I didn’t think they’d send a Spartan, much less _seven_.” The Scarab rounded the corner and stopped briefly when the Scorpion fired at it. “We got trouble.”

Even as they watched, the Scarab prepared to fire its main cannon at the Scorpion, protective panels folding away from the “muzzle” as it began to charge. The plasma beam hit the Scorpion and blew it apart in under three seconds, the superheated metal flying this way and that. A scared Marine somewhere behind them said, “See this look? It’s terror!”

“Marines,” the Sergeant barked, “did I give you permission to bitch?” The Scarab walked determinedly forward, the footpaths over the streets below crumbling before it, and Banks called, “I don’t think it’s stopping! Get your heads down!” The vehicle planted its pedes and lifted its upper half over the building climbing like a child determined to get on top of a footstool, and it changed direction slightly to move around the building ahead as the Sergeant growled, “That thing is really starting to _PISS ME OFF!_ Marines, it’s time to kill us a Scarab!”

The Spartans jogged across the rooftop of their building, following the Scarab, moving through something like a warehouse before emerging onto walkways ringing the edges of what appeared to be a canal, and there were weapons lying all over the place. They immediately began picking up extra ammo for all of their weapons as they followed the Scarab through the short stretch of canal. Fortunately for them, their rocket launchers were heat-seeking-enabled, letting them look on to the Elites, Jackals, and Grunts that had emerged from within the Scarab itself to protect it while the humans had the advantage of height. There was some error due to the rise and fall caused by the Scarab’s walking, but finally Gray Team was able to jump aboard and dart down the short hall leading to the control center of the Scarab.

There was a squad of SpecOps guarding the pilots, including an Elite Ultra, and as quietly as possible, both Mike and Jai dropped to one knee, bringing their launchers to bear on the split-chinned alien while Adriana prepared to fire on the Grunts taking cover on the other side. Simultaneously, they let fly the three rockets and ducked back into the passage leading up onto the Scarab’s back to shelter from the ensuing explosion. The two pilots turned to fight but were easily cut down by the trio of warriors.

* * *

Explosions rippled the length of the Scarab, venting blue-white smoke into the already smog-filled skies, the vehicle itself slumping slightly toward the ground, parts hanging loose or falling free entirely. Gray Team emerged from the escaping smoke, padding down one of the ramps on the Scarab’s back. Beyond a few buildings, they could see the gravity lift of the carrier fading out as the alien ship prepared for takeoff.

A Pelican settled into hover behind them, and Gay Team turned to face it, seeing Johnson in the cockpit. _“That’s right, you mothers!”_ the Sergeant called, _“Run!”_

 _“Not if we can help it, Sergeant. Extract the Spartans and return to_ In Amber Clad, _”_ Miranda said over the radio.

 _“Roger that.”_ Johnson replied as the Pelican turned to admit the remainder of the Spartans into its cargo bay.

Onboard the _In Amber_ Clad, Miranda switched her view screen over to Lord Hood, who barked, “Status!”

“The Prophet is bugging out, sir,” she said immediately, “request permission to engage.”

“Negative, Commander. I’ll vector two heavies for star-side intercept.” Lord Hood’s tone brooked no argument, but that was before Commander Keyes heard what one of her navigational officers had to say.

“Ma’am, Slipspace rupture off the target’ bow; it’s going to jump – inside the city!” Indeed, the ship had begun to move forward, visible ripples of light forming before it curved bow.

She hesitated for a split second, brushing her hair out of her face, knowing that Lord Hood had heard, then said, “There’s no time, sir!”

The man took only a blink to consider. “Green light,” he called, “green light to engage.”

“Punch it,” Miranda called as Johnson’s Pelican docked with the _In Amber Clad_ ; the whole ship shuddered as the frigate’s engines ignited for pursuit of the Prophet, “get us close.”

“Ma’am, without a destination solution-” the nav officer started.

“We are _not_ losing that ship!” Miranda broke in, and _In Amber Clad_ accelerated toward Regret’s carrier, flying in and up under a fin-like protrusion at the back of the enemy ship just before it jumped. For the briefest of instants, there was only a slight ripple in space that signaled the exit point of the ship before space exploded, a wave of white light racing out from the Slipspace entry. It washed over everything, and the shockwave sent flying everything that was not solidly anchored: cars, debris… people… The light consumed the whole of New Mombasa, and what was left behind was anyone’s guess.

* * *

“Hey, Commander.”

“Yes?”

“What about the Arbiter and his little soiree thing with the quote-unquote ‘heretic’?”

“I’m already way ahead of you…”

* * *

 _I fear who I am becoming,_  
I feel that I am losing   
All beauty within.   
I can no longer restrain it,   
My strength it is fading.   
I have to give in.

\- “It’s the Fear,” Within Temptation ( _The Silent Force_ )


	15. Fourteen: Delta Halo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe that Lost is over! It seemed to take forever to get that show off the air!

In the void of space, everything was momentarily undisturbed. Had it been a forest on Earth, the deer residents would have been grazing placidly, and other prey animals would have also been searching for food.

It was in that moment that the undisturbed stretch of space was torn open, light boiling out of the rent, and Regret’s carrier streaked out of the opening, bringing with it several segments of buildings, what looked like a piece of the tower from the center of the city – and the _In Amber Clad_. The whole of the hip jerked at her sudden stop, sending the crewmembers hurling forward as the ship’s change in momentum failed to immediately change their own. “Report,” Miranda Keyes called the moment she reoriented herself.

“Both engine cores have spun to zero,” one of the crewmen replied, “We’re drifting.”

“Archer pods are cold,” another stated, “I’ll need to re-key the system.”

“Do it,” the Commander told them, “and find out where we are.”

Inside one of the ship’s many bays, ODST drop pods lined the walls, Sergeant Johnson and the Spartans already inside. Blue, Red, White, and Gray Teams had managed to make it onboard before the _In Amber Clad_ had made its assisted jump, leaving the rest of their brothers and sisters behind on Earth. _“Sorry for the quick jump, Sergeant,”_ Keyes said to him over the COM, _“Are you still in one piece?”_

“I’m good,” he replied, “Chief?”

 _We’re fine,_ Epheria interjected before the Spartan could say anything, speaking for the first time in ages. Just as she spoke, one of the crewmen on the bridge hailed for the Commander’s attention.

“Ma’am, there’s an object, coming into view now.”

The woman inhaled sharply when the crewman brought up the image on the main screen, and she routed it down to the AI. “Cortana,” she asked, “What exactly am I looking at?”

The construct took only a moment to reply as the _In Amber Clad_ glided through the debris field of New Mombasa bits, an immense blue gas giant with a seemingly tiny ring between it and its moon, “That… is another Halo.”

Johnson choked on his cigar and managed to get out, “Say WHAT?”

Miranda leaned forward slightly in her seat. “So this is what my father found.” Then, to the construct, _“I thought Halo was some kind of super weapon?”_

“It is. If activated, this ring will cause destruction on a galactic scale,” the AI replied. She pinged the area, searching… and received a whisper in response from the far side of Substance.

S-104 eyed the Halo on the screen in his drop pod as Miranda said, _“I want all the intel you’ve got on the first Halo, schematics, topography, whatever. I don’t care if I have the clearance or not.”_

“Yes, ma’am.”

Keyes turned her attention away from the artificial intelligence as data began streaming into the ship’s memory relays. “Where’s our target?”

“The enemy ship is stopped just above the ring, ma’am. We’re going to pass right over it,” the second crewman replied, checking the displays in front of him.

“Perfect,” she said as the _In Amber Clad_ glided ever closer to the Halo, “Given what we know about this ring, it’s even more important that we capture the Prophet of Regret; find out why he came to Earth, why he came here.” To Fred, _“Chief, take first platoon. Hard drop, secure our landing zone.”_ He nodded to confirm, though she couldn’t see him. _“Sergeant, load up two flights of Pelicans and follow them in.”_

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” he said and opened up his drop pod to clamber out.

_“Until I can move and fight, I’m going to keep a low profile. Once you leave the ship, you’re on your own.”_

Johnson banged twice on the Senior Chief’s pod as he walked by, and the Spartan banged back, saying to Miranda, “Understood.”

On the bridge, one of the crewmen alerted them; “Over the target in five.”

“Hang on to your helmet,” Cortana advised as the ship passed over the ring, their pod jolting as the clamps holding it in released, and they slid smoothly out of the ejection chute, the other pods dropping out behind them. The small hail of HEVs began to visibly heat as they entered the ring’s atmosphere, the friction slowing them down and causing the temperature to rise. As they dropped through the clouds and left fiery tails behind them, their airbrakes snapping open before their braking thrusters fired, Cortana said, “Mind the bump,” about seven seconds before they hit the ground with a bone-jarring thumb.

Fred kicked open his pod, SMG in hand as he quickly assessed the situation. There were two nearby plasma turrets that needed to be taken out to ensure that it was safe for the Pelicans that would follow with reinforcements, and he grabbed his rocket launcher from his pod, briefly checking to make sure that Epheria was still chilling in her holster – _Aw, you_ do _care!_ – before moving into position, a Helljumper right behind him. He dropped to one knee and brought his launcher to bear on the nearest of the turrets, locking on and letting the rocket fly before turning to the one that had been set up atop the ruin of some Forerunner stone structure. As he reloaded after destroying that one as well, he heard a stern-sounding ODST call, “Clear this LZ, the Pelicans are right behind us!”

He scrambled up the embankment and took cover behind one of the drop pods as a pair of Jackals fired on him, but the continuous fire of his SMG put both of them down before they could do any serious damage. The rest of Blue Team was clustered on the far side of the ridge, going hand to hand with a set of Grunts and Jackals rather than waste ammo on such close-range targets, and they advanced up through a short slope cut out by rainfall over the past hundred thousand years; all of the humans regrouped and moved up into the ruin itself via two different routes, catching the Grunts hiding on the ground floor between two lines of fire and slaying them easily. The Elites both inside and out posed more of a problem for them, but they, too, were taken out. Fred and Sam advanced up a set of stairs to the upper floor and snapped the neck f the Grunt manning the plasma turret before firing on the Jackal that was with it.

“Artillery disabled, Sergeant,” Cortana said over the radio, “Landing zone secure, for the moment.”

 _“I hear ya,”_ Johnson replied, _“Startin’ our approach, hang tight.”_

Cortana snapped off the radio, then said, “Easier said than done. Inbound Phantoms, Senior Chief.” He and Sam took up positions on the second floor, while Linda climbed up onto the roof and temporarily concealed herself in the tree branches, intending to put her beam rifle to good use when the aliens arrived. The Phantom was right on time; everyone had just finished getting into position when it came to a stop overhead and fired on them as it dropped its load of aliens to fight the humans. There were only a handful of Elites and Grunts, mostly Jackals from the first Phantom, and a handful of well-placed grenades took them out, Epheria distorting space again so that they were riddled with shrapnel.

“Another Phantom, on approach,” the construct warned, but she was confident that they would be able to slay the aliens; they wouldn’t have survived this long if they couldn’t. Instead, she pinged the whisper again through the _In Amber Clad_ and received a more solid response, put out a status request to the whisper.

* * *

//UNSC AI “CORTANA” SERIAL NUMBER [CTN 0452-9] REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED.

//FLOOD STATUS UPDATE FROM FoS: FLOOD CONFIRMED RELEASED. CAUSE: UNKNOWN. AS OF 2453, ENEMY GRAVEMIND PRESENT ON HALO. LOCATION: LIBRARY. FORM: LESSER FULL GRAVEMIND (PROTOFORM COMPLETE AS OF 2509).

//MONITOR STATUS UPDATE FROM FoS: 2401 PENITENT TANGENT CAPTIVE OF GRAVEMIND. LOCATION: LIBRARY. CONDITION: UNKNOWN.

//HALO STATUS UPDATE FROM FoS: ALL SYSTEMS NORMAL. GENERATORS SIMULATING ONE (1) EARTH-STANDARD GRAVITY (ACCELERATION DUE TO GRAVITY IS STEADY AT 9.81 METERS PER SECOND). ATMOSPHERIC CONTENT NORMAL: APPROX. 60-40 NITROGEN-OXYGEN ATMOSPHERE. CORE: ONLINE, STATUS NORMAL. PULSE GENERATORS: OFFLINE PER COMMAND OF FoS SUPREME COMMANDER, REASONING: “Don’t need the thing actually firing if Miranda doesn’t get to the Index in time.” INDEX: NORMAL, LOCATION: LIBRARY (ADVISED TRANSPORT TO SECONDARY LOCATION ASAP DUE TO PROXIMITY TO ENEMY GRAVEMIND).

//ALIEN RACE DETECTED ON SURFACE, CONFIRMED AS [PROPHET OF REGRET] AND “COVENANT.” TARGETS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO LOCAL SENTINELS’ ROSTER.

//RECLAIMERS DETECTED. THOSE RECOGNIZED CONFIRMED AS: [COMMANDER MIRANDA KEYES]; [SERGEANT MAJOR AVERY J. JOHNSON]; SPARTANS [006], [015], [034], [042], [058], [068], [077], [087], [092], [093], [103], [104], [111], [123], AND [130]; AND UNSC AI “CORTANA” SERIAL NUMBER [CTN 0452-9]. NO ACTION TAKEN.

//EDIT? Y/N

//CTN 0425-9: N. END TRANSMISSION.

//DISCONNECTING…

* * *

Cortana returned to Fred’s armor in an eye blink, having barely left; to an AI who could still run five billion simultaneous processes, simply receiving a status update from the onboard computer of the _Fleet of Shadows_ was like twitching a finger.

The Phantom carried three Elites this time, and more Grunts than Jackals, but that still didn’t mean they were able to put up much of a fight against four skilled Spartans. They had barely clear the drop zone of aliens when Cortana spotted the two Pelicans that Johnson had loaded up. Both were holding reinforcements to hold the locations that they’d taken, and one carried a Warthog so they could press on much faster. Of course, that also meant that one of the Spartans would have to either stay behind or continue on foot; Kelly gestured to herself. As the fastest of the Spartans, she would be able to keep up with the Warthog in the way another could not, and she had the endurance to match it.

Fred nodded reluctantly, giving her permission, before Johnson spoke up. _“I got a good view comin’ in. There’s a big building in the middle of this island’s lake.”_

“I saw it, too,” Cortana replied, “It looked like a temple. If I were a megalomaniac – and I’m not–“ Epheria started laughing but tried to cover it with coughing, “-that’s where I’d be.”

Their Warthog landed with a thud, and the three Spartans climbed aboard, Kelly already jogging on ahead of them. The ODSTs that had dropped in with them would stay behind and cover their backs to prevent any aliens from getting in behind them, while they would be on the front lines, absorbing bullets, kicking ass, and taking names; it was very much a love-hate relationship.

Beyond the tiny canyon was an immense lake with a handful of ancient stone structure jutting out of it like buttes in a desert. The rock walls around the lake were almost sheer faces, gray and very much weathered. Fred gunned the LRV through a tight curve and dropped off a small ridge, drawing the attention of a pair of Jackals who were assigned to guard it. Sam swung the turret around and fired a handful of bullets into each as an ODST said over the local radio: _“Dear Sarge, Kicking ass in outer space, wish you were here.”_

 _“I heard that. Jackass,”_ Johnson growled back, and the Spartans allowed themselves a brief roll of the eyes before they got back to work, following the pathway along the edge of the cliff to a large structure on their side of a gulf, some kind of bridge and attached control center. Of course, the Covenant were already there, and the aliens came out to greet them with plasma fire. An Elite manned a Ghost while two Grunts took over the plasma turrets and began gunning for the Warthog and Kelly, who took the remaining Ghost and began chasing the Elite. Fred chose to mow down the Jackals that had run out in front of the Warthog to try and stop it, saving them some ammo, and Cortana snickered quietly in the back of his head. He ignored her in favor of spinning the wheel to bring them around before they went careening off the edge, driving them across part of the retracted bridge as Cortana said, “They’re trying to bottle us up on this side of the gorge, but the controls for extending the bridge should be in the center of this structure.” She flipped up a nav point on their HUDs and let them at it.

* * *

“Commander.”

From where he was facedown, slumped at his desk, “Mm?”

“They’re here~.”

“I gathered that. Now, the only real option we have for not getting shot is to stay out of the Spartans’ way; Cortana will keep appraised of their location as often as possible so we can get out in time.” [Right?]

‘You got it.’

“Alright then. Everyone knows where to be, so let’s move.”

* * *

“Good, the bridge is down. Now about those Wraiths…” Cortana said over the radio, and Johnson replied with something to the effect of there was a tank en route. Using the bridge control tower as cover, the Pelican dropped their Scorpion off and headed out over the lake to an unknown destination. Rather than risk all of them getting killed by a single plasma bomb, Fred manned the tank, Kelly remained on her Ghost, and Sam and Linda took the Warthog for a spin; the two alien vehicles couldn’t focus on all three of them at once, enabling S-104 to take them out with a handful of well-placed shells.

A foursome of Ghosts came skittering out to take their places, but once again, human weaponry proved to be superior; the Spartans continued on virtually unimpeded, following the path through a short stretch of tunnel and out behind a waterfall. There, they were met by more Ghosts and a Grunt manning a plasma turret, but these offered little resistance to the ninety millimeter tungsten shells of the tank. Another tunnel opened up into some kind of courtyard with what had once been an elegant fountain in the center. Now there were immense chunks of brick strewn here and there, thrown about by nature’s violent storms and torn up by large trees that clung to the buildings.

Of course, it was swarming with Covenant. While Fred used the tank to take out the Ghosts holding position on the far side, Linda clambered out of the driver’s seat of the Warthog to bring her sniper rifle to bear on the aliens. With all four of them using their available weapons, it took no time at all to clear the area of visible enemies, and they picked of the rest as they crossed to the other side. As they left, only Cortana noticed the one unnatural thing in the courtyard: a black-armored figure hiding high up in one of the trees, not John, but likely one of his Infected. Blue Team followed a ramp down a level and encountered still more Ghosts and Grunts with the odd pair of Jackals here and there before descending another level and coming across the same thing. They turned and emerged into the sunlight after gunning down a pack of Grunts covering the exit from the top of the next structure.

There was the usual plethora of enemies, everything from yet another handful of Ghosts to a clutch of Grunts manning plasma turrets overlooking the path to the interior of the structure. They cleared the path and followed it below the building to the back, where a ramp led up onto the second level. It was then that Kelly noticed a Pelican inbound and alerted the others so they could clear an LZ; there were a bunch of Covies between them and the center of the complex that they needed to head through. Fortunately for them, the aliens had set up plasma barriers, which made it easy for them to toss a few grenades over the top and watch the fireworks.

The Grunts were killed instantly, but the Jackals and Elites were not so lucky; the Spartans swept through and shot the survivors as the Pelican dropped of weapons canisters and backup for them. The Marines hopped out of the Pelican as it hovered over the stone surface, bringing their weapons up to shoot the aliens, and while the ordinary soldiers provided cover fire, the Spartans quickly loaded up on ammo. “They’re all pouring out of the middle!” one of the soldiers called, and the super humans responded quickly, letting bullets precede them as they wove through a brief stretch of pillars and engaged more Covenant soldiers, following their enemies through the ruins of the once grand Forerunner structure…

* * *

“How goes the campaign back at Alpha Halo?”

“Spectacularly. I finally figured out how to prevent the combat forms’ pain from hurting me, so we’re A-okay. The Arbiter’s dealing with the quote-unquote ‘heretic’ right now, and for the life of me I can’t remember his name.”

“Me either, so don’t worry about it – “

[Venera, Kenera, if you’re going to do what I think you’re going to do, I’m going to make sure that Cortana finds out. And she’s going to kill you.] John heaved his half-ton weight out of the specially-designed chair and snapped on his helmet plates and active camo, mentally activating the fleet’s teleportation generator to beam him down to the surface.

* * *

The Spartans sidled through a thin crevice in the rock face before them and found themselves up to their knees at the base of a small waterfall. The water flowed away to their left through a short canyon cut by the water before dropping away out of sight. A Jackal patrolled this short stretch of water-soaked rock, its beam rifle cradled in its arms like it was a child, but that vision of false innocence was ruined when Kelly stepped up and snapped the bird-like alien’s neck from behind. It was then that the humans took a good look at their surroundings, assessing the terrain for combat; the trees had thick enough branches to support their weight and seemed to grow right out of the ruins, and, as usual, the Covenant were everywhere, though in thinner numbers than previously seen.

Kelly took up the fallen Jackal’s beam rifle, and together she and Linda began picking off the visible aliens, including those that came out of hiding to check on their now-deceased comrades. The humans then dropped down to the lower levels once there was a much lower risk of being picked off or jumped by cannibalistic Covenant. “People always bring me to such nice places,” Cortana said in the background as the Spartans and Marines advanced through the overgrown ruins of a Forerunner complex, splitting up to maximize their possibility of egress through the battlefield and gunning down every nonhuman they came across. After dealing with the Flood on Alpha Halo, even the utterly-obnoxious Yam’ee were nothing more than flies to be swatted, not even impeding their progress.

Once across the miniature canyon, the group of attackers passed through a short stretch of cave and out into another very narrow canyon. Beyond that was another Forerunner complex, and while it was not the one that Regret was in, it proved that they were on the right track. “Good,” Cortana said suddenly, “Still no word about _In Amber Clad_ on the Covenant battle net.

“It’s odd; the Covenant know we’ve made landfall, but they don’t seem to consider us a very serious threat. Boy, are they in for a big surprise. /Epheria, would you mind staying with Commander Keyes from here on out?/”

_/Gladly./_

Fred glanced down when the custom fitted pouch on his hip suddenly lightened, but he was not at all concerned; the goddess disappeared from time to time, and no one seemed to be able to stop her.

Linda and Kelly took notice of numerous Covenant soldiers throughout the complex before them and used their long-range weapons to take out the Jackals on the roof and the Elites further in before they actually reached them, making future combat in the area easier and providing cover for the other two as they proceeded down the ramp to the entrance. The door slid open before them, and they slipped in once the women joined them, guns at the ready. Their motion trackers showed enemies in the next room, most likely Elites, and Cortana muttered, “Honor Guard, watch yourselves.”

How she knew, they were unsure but they took her advice just the same, boosting their shields and prepping some grenades. Just beyond a steel partition was a holographic display of Regret, two Honor Guard on either side, and there were two more concealed in the pillars to their left and right, respectively. Linda managed to kill one of them before the aliens recovered from the shock of seeing four “Demons” waltz into the complex, and Sam went toe-to-toe with the other in the immediate vicinity, snapping its neck even as the other three finished off the remaining two.

* * *

The Prophet was intoning something in the Covenant language, and as the Spartans were about to turn and leave, Cortana said, “Wait, go back.” Fred paused but laid his hand on the holoprojector’s input, letting the rampant AI sort herself into the access port before moving his hand off so she could activate her avatar. “That’s what I thought he said.” She turned to the Spartans. “The Prophet of Regret is planning to activate Halo.”

Fred inhaled sharply, then said, “Are you sure?”

Cortana snapped her fingers – “I shall light this holy ring, release its cleansing flame, and burn a path into the Divine Beyond!” – And snapped her fingers again to shut him up. “Pretty much,” she replied.

The Senior Chief opened a channel to the _In Amber Clad_. “Commander, we’ve got a problem.”

 _“So I hear,”_ crackled over the radio, _“but from what I understand, the Prophet will need an object – the Index – to activate the ring. I’ve located a Library similar to the one you found on the first Halo. If the rings work the same way, the Index should be inside.”_

 _“I’ll bet the Covenant are thinking the exact same thing,”_ Johnson broke over the channel.

_“Then we’d better beat them to it, Sergeant. Extract your men and meet me at the Library.”_

_“Yes, ma’am.”_

_“I’ll secure the Index, Senior Chief,”_ Miranda said as the Spartan reclaimed his onboard AI, _“You take out the Prophet. He’s given us all the intel we need.”_

* * *

_It's the fear_  
Fear of the darkness  
Growing inside of me,  
That one day will come to life.  
(Have to save)  
To save my beloved,  
There is no escape,  
Because my fate is horror and doom.

-“It’s the Fear,” Within Temptation ( _The Silent Force_ )


	16. Fifteen: Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The following chapter was based on real events. Some people were curb-stomped by Spartans to protect the innocent.

The Spartans didn’t waste any more time lurking inside the structure, making for a stone door set into one of the walls. It slid open as its proximity sensors detected their approach – just as some Drones dropped in through the open ceiling and an Elite charged through the door. The warriors didn’t even stop to think, simply shot, covering the Marines as they quickly scuttled through the door while Blue Team covered them. “You know,” Cortana said as the last of them passed through the hatch, “I think the Forerunners built these new structures around the old to protect them, honor them. Pure speculation, mind you; I’d need to make a thorough survey to be sure…” She subsided into muttering to herself as the Spartans headed out onto a structure that was almost the Forerunner equivalent of a wrap-around porch, wide bridges connecting the various structures to one another, and the AI’s nav point directed them further along the “porch,” as the bridge to their right had collapsed sometime in the past.

The next bridge had not yet fallen but was guarded by an Elite and a handful of Grunts, the latter of whom had bunched up and were therefore easy to take out with a frag grenade. The Elite swiftly fell under the combined fire of the humans, letting them move further onto the bridge, where an Elite Minor wielding a plasma sword charged them, aiming straight for Fred. The Senior Chief dodged and clothes-lined the alien as its forward momentum carried it past him, the force behind the abrupt halt sufficient to snap the enemy’s neck.

Water from a recent rainstorm had pooled in a dip in the center of the bridge, not yet drained away, and they splashed through it, almost carelessly gunning down the Jackal that waited for them on the other side and following the Grunts that they killed back to their source: a doorway on the left hand path, guarded by an Elite. A soon-to-be-dead Elite, and the Spartans passed the corpse by, following that hall around to a circular courtyard open to the sky, pillars of tan stone lining the outer edge of the walkway that ran the courtyard’s circumference. The place was filled with Jackals and Grunts, but even with their leader, they would have stood no chance against one Spartan, much less four.

The humans moved around the edge of the room after the demise of the aliens holding it, slipping through a door-less doorway into a space that appeared to be a locker room.

What?

A groan of ancient machinery caught their attention; a concealed exit opened up before them, the immense panel of stone sliding upwards, revealing another walkway around the edge of the building, leading the humans to an open platform similar to a three-hundred-and-sixty degree amphitheater with a small, temple like building in the center, surrounded by a shallow ring of rainwater. There were Covenant already there, naturally, and they had apparently called for reinforcements; barely thirty seconds after the last Jackal screamed and died, one of the Marines alerted them to a Phantom on approach. 

Its cargo was not what they expected but a welcome challenge: a pair of Hunters with new and improved fuel rod guns fused to their arms. The worm colonies were dropped virtually on top of them as the Phantom provided cover fire, and they unhesitatingly charged the Spartans and Marines, firing long streams of green plasma from their weapons. The humans scattered before the beasts, and the Spartans brought their weapons to bear on the creatures as they ran by, their mass and forward momentum such that they could not stop fast enough. The bullets they unleashed on the creatures pinged off their navy blue armor, confusing the enemy enough to where they could circle around and fire at its unprotected back.

They lost only one Marine in that brief firefight, a woman who was crushed by one of the Hunters when it landed on top of her, and one of her squad mates had collected her dog tag when Miranda came over the line; _“Cortana, the Covenant’s getting nosy. I don’t want to give away my position, so I’m rerouting a few stragglers back to you. I apologize; these Pelicans are all the support you’re going to get.”_

“Understood, ma’am.”

After a few beats of relative silence, Cortana spoke up, “A gondola’s launching from the far tower. Big surprise, it’s full of Covenant reinforcements.” Out on the lake, some strange transports which had previously been stopped next to one another were moving apart, one to the structure that they were headed to and the other in their direction, both no doubt packed with enemies as the construct had said. The Pelican arrived with their reinforcements just in time, dropping off both people and weapons canisters for the Spartans. The aircraft made good its escape before the gondola docked with their tower, the warriors using their battle rifles to pick off the Grunts stupid enough to move out into the open with “Demons” out and about. As the docking clamps unfolded and locked into place, the Elites still on the gondola ducked out of cover and into range, bringing with them a pair of Jackals and a slightly more intelligent Grunt.

All of which died, of course.

“Well, they were nice enough to bring us a ride.”

The gondola was started toward the opposite tower, all of the humans on board, and shortly after the disembarked, another flock of Yam’ee buzzed into range and began firing on them with plasma pistols, forcing the humans into cover while they fought back. Invariably, they continued on mostly unscathed, Cortana muttering in the back of Fred’s mind: “This lake couldn’t have been formed by volcanic action; it was either build this way on purpose or was created by some other cataclysmic event. –Sorry. Were you trying to kill something?” she asked as they drew alongside the other gondola, filled with Covenant soldiers that were a simple matter to dispatch. The moment their enemies were dead, their transport resumed motion, heading toward the other tower.

They came under fire from Covenant weapons emplacements on top of the docking stations the moment they were in range. A pair of Grunts manned the turrets, while Jackals with beam rifles assisted them, but there was one fatal flaw in their plans: they were out in the open.

Linda’s expert ability with her sniper rifle sent neon blue and violet ichor splattering across the once-pristine Forerunner structure, letting them enter the structure without being harmed further, the docking clamps pulling their gondola up into position for disembarking. The blast door protecting the structure’s internals slid open at their approach, spilling still more enemies out into the line of fire, which was fine with them; the Jackals were swiftly cut down in sprays of violet blood. Inside, there were still more Jackals lurking around what appeared to be several crisscrossing walkways that led further up into the building.

There was also a deep shaft in the center of the room that ended in water, presumably down at the surface of the lake. After a moment, Cortana said, "Ah, now I see. There's a submerged section that connects these towers to the outlying structures. Looks like we're going down. Unless you'd... prefer to swim."

"Full car, coming up," a Private cried in warning, the Spartans moved around to what Cortana told them would be the side they would exit and enter from. The transparent steel doors slid open, and Fred did the only logical thing he could, knowing how resilient the Forerunners' technology was: he tossed a grenade inside the car.

While the explosion left unsightly blood smears all over the inside of the car, it saved ammo. After everyone piled in (with some squeezing required due to the Spartans' size), Fred activated the docking clamps, sending them into a controlled drop to the water below.

There were lights throughout the dark water, illuminating a hundred enigmatic ruins below the surface of the lake, and even the Spartans themselves were unable to resist peering out at the ancient rubble. As the lift carried them through the dim water, Cortana piped up, "I've intercepted a secure transmission from Regret's Carrier to the something called _High Charity_. It seems to be a formal apology to the Prophets of Truth and Mercy. Apparently, Regret jumped the gun when he attacked Earth. He's asking the other Prophets to 'forgive his premature arrival', arguing that 'no human presence was foretold.' That explains why there were so few ships in his fleet. But it's odd that a Prophet would have such bad intel about his enemy's home world."

For some reason, she did not seem at all surprised by this fact; if anything, she was just relaying to them the fact that Regret's attack had apparently been "accidental." They pondered this briefly as their car wove through ancient canyons and ruins of once-magnificent structures of the Forerunners. There was one thing about their surroundings that threw them off for a moment before they remembered that there would be no sea life on Halo; the rings' very purpose was to annihilate it.

The car halted below an opening virtually identical to the one that they had fallen through, and the gravitational docking clamp pulled them up to the main underwater complex. They came to a stop in a relatively low-ceilinged room with only one exit, an intricately detailed doorway that led to a ramp leading further up into the new complex. They followed it to a triangular hall walled with transparent metal, ramps leading down into it from either side and three, square, pylon-like objects in the exact center of the path. Everything, even the Covenant soldiers that seemed not to have noticed their presence, was bathed in a pale blue, watery light from the sun filtering down from overhead.

Though many ordinary people would have wanted to linger to study the incredible detail of the Forerunner structure, the Spartans were by no means ordinary, and they gunned down the enemy before proceeding up the opposite ramp into the next antechamber. There were two exits from there, and though they knew it would lead to the same place, they wanted to have all the bases covered and so split up to catch any foes by surprise. There were none, just more ramps leading up, up, up into the next (and much larger) hall, where an immense hologram of the Prophet of Regret floated off to one side of the main path.

"And they say _I've_ got a big head," Cortana muttered.

This room, too, had transparent steel windows giving them an excellent view of the lake bed, and of course there were plenty of enemies. Though the Hunter pair was a bit of a challenge in the confined space, they and the enemies in the following hall were slain handily, despite the fact that the next room had sprung a leak somewhere and was under about a foot and a half of water.

The next area was identical to the one that they'd entered the underwater complex through, leading them to another car that would take them further along in the tower string. The car dropped into the water and began propelling itself along a preset path to the next structure, hopefully one that would take them back to the surface. Once again, they wove though the pillars of ancient ruins, listening to Cortana talk. "Regret's carrier just received a response from High Charity," she told them, "A very well encrypted message from the Prophet of Truth. Listen to this: 'Your haste has jeopardized the fulfillment of our Covenant, threatened our grand design. That you shall be spared a public display of our contempt is thanks only to Mercy and his wise counsel.' Truth, Mercy, Regret. Three Prophet Hierarchs. Killing Regret should shake up the Covenant leadership, but frankly, it sounds like you might be doing Truth a favor."

Their car docked with the tower and was pulled up into it by the powerful gravitational docking clamps, letting them out into a room. Even through the filters in their armor, the Spartans could smell the fresh air, could almost taste the freedom from the confined spaces of the submerged complex, and they sped up a little, intent upon reaching their goal as fast as possible; none of the Honor Guard were able to stand up to their combined might for long.

And then they froze the moment they exited the last of the towers.

Up above them, balanced perfectly on a rock spur, was the thing from Alpha Halo. He was still the same tall figure whose full appearance remained unseen beneath the haze of his active camouflage.

Kelly recovered first from the shock, lifting her weapon to fire at him, but he was already gone, leaving naught but a stirring of dust in its wake, along with the bodies of two Elites and some Drones. Internally, Cortana was squealing like a little girl; John was here, which meant that everything was under control.

That reminded her; she pinged his radio, he couldn't have gone far.

_"Yes?"_

"I have a message for you from 'the Shard.'"

_"Shard as in the freaky floating crystal thing from Reach?"_

"Yeah. She wants to speak to you, and hopes you’ll at least hear her out, but I don't think you're going to get a chance to talk to her one-on-one until this 'Halo Campaign' is over with."

_"Hm. I'll do what I can."_

"Thank you!~" She cut the connection as the Spartans topped the rise and emerged into another series of ruins that were held by the Covenant; though they slew all of the aliens, the appearance of the creature from Alpha Halo had shaken them to the point that a couple of them came away from the mini-firefight with plasma burns.

The Pelican pilot came over the line; "This is my last run, Senior Chief! I'm nearly out of fuel. We've secured the first tower cluster, so I'll set down there. Call when you're ready for evac." They heard the thuds of some weapons canisters hitting the ground and moved forward to collect the ammo before the Pelican slipped away, a Phantom's inbound vector forcing the pilot to get out of there fast, but not before some fresh soldiers replaced the injured: Red Team joined them on the battle field.

 _"How's it going, you all?"_ Commander Keyes asked over the COM. 

"So far, so good. We're approaching the main temple now."

_"Roger that. I'm as close to the Library as I can get. There's some sort of ... barrier. We're trying to find a way around it. I'll keep you posted."_

The two teams of Spartans boarded the gondola that would take them across to the temple where Regret was hiding, slaying the Jackals and Grunts that were guarding it and activating the gondola's gravity beams. A pair of Banshees attempted to intercept the eight warriors, but to no avail; Sam had picked up a heat-seeking rocket launcher and fired twice, destroying both of the obnoxious vehicles, as well as the airborne jetpack-Elites that came across in the other gondola.

Linda and Jerome, meanwhile, were picking off the Covenant that had just darted out from the large doorway in the final tower, clearing the platform for the new arrivals before the docking clamps had even extended. They stepped off the transport and onto the main entryway to the temple -

Just as there was the tell-tale sound of a Slipspace rupture high overhead.

The Spartans looked up; one, ten, a hundred, a thousand - it was impossible to count the number of ruptures and ships that exited from Slipspace, followed closely by a jellyfish-like ship that could only be _High Charity_. "That's the largest Covenant fleet I've ever seen, the largest anyone's even seen," Cortana whispered in amazement, "Get inside the temple and kill Regret before it can stop us."

Together, the teams moved to the door just in time to surprise a troop of Jackals and their Elite leader as they came around the steel partition immediately beyond the door; the aliens weren't able to react fast enough to prevent themselves from getting shot. Once they assured themselves that there were no other threats in the immediate vicinity, they huddled up to plan.

"Alright," Fred growled, "So who's killing Regret, and who's providing the cover for the person killing Regret?"

Though all of them wanted to be the one to murder one of the Prophets that had essentially condoned the mass-genocide of the human race, only one person would truly be able to take the final shot, and all of them designated him to be the one to land the final blow. With this plan of action set, they proceeded further into the temple, being met by a trio of Elite Minors investigating the disturbance that they cause, and they charged up the central ramp into the main chamber.

The room was incredibly spacious and elegantly designed, ornate pillars lining the walls and twin rows of what looked like Japanese stone lanterns in twin rows on the floor below their mini-balcony. Regret was on his throne before an immense waterfall on the far side of the room, and for the briefest of instants, they thought the saw the hazy figure moving behind the water. He was no threat to them right now, and was gone a moment later, so naturally they assumed that they had imagined it.

Fred didn't even bother with the ramps to either side; he vaulted over the balcony railing and charged Regret, trusting the other Spartans to cover his back. The sounds of human gunfire and the screams of dying aliens reassured him that his brothers and sisters were looking out for him, and he leapt on Regret's throne without any hesitation at all, trying to hit the Prophet at the proper angle to snap his neck. The hover chair moved jerkily and unpredictably, though, throwing off his aim, but eventually the sheer amount of damage he was able to do killed the alien. The Spartan dropped to the floor, satisfied.

"Bad news," Cortana said suddenly, "the Phantoms are turning around. The fleet is preparing to fire on _our_ position. We need to get out of here."

At her words, all of the Spartans dropped everything and ran for the door, exiting just in time to see one of the Covenant ships firing up its weapons to destroy the temple; they bolted for the corner, swinging themselves around it and jumping a short railing to drop to a lower level. The eight of them sprinted along the platform, the energy beam right behind them, and when they reached the end of the road, they didn't even have to think, simply jumped into the water below and trusted it dampen the heat, protect them from the high intensity laser.

All of them hit the water and disappeared under it at roughly the same time, large chunks of rock and steel drifting down around them, and after a moment, they felt what seemed to be ropes looped around their midsections, a voice whispering in their heads, **"This is not your grave... but you are welcome in it."**

* * *

 _Long ago it came to me_   
_And ever since that day,_   
_Infected with its rage_   
_But it ends today._

-"It's the Fear," Within Temptation ( _The Silent Force_ )


	17. Sixteen: Sacred Icon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is now time for the penguin on top of your computer to explode.

The Arbiter arrived at the inner sanctum leading to the Prophets' chambers just as Rtas 'Vadamee was leaving with two other Sangheili, and the SpecOps Elite nodded to him as he passed before the silver-armored Elite approached the Prophets.

"Politics," Truth sighed, "how tiresome. Did you know, Arbiter, that the Elites have threatened to resign? To quit the High Council? Because of this... exchange of hats?"

"We have always been your protectors," Thel 'Vadamee replied, shuffling his hooves slightly.

"These are trying times for all of us," Truth conceded.

"Even as the humans' annihilation filled us with satisfaction, the loss of one of the Sacred Rings wracked our hearts with grief," Mercy interjected before Truth held up a hand to silence him.

"Putting aside our sorrow," the Prophet said, "we renewed our faith in the promise that other rings would be found. And see how our faith has been rewarded." He gestured to the ring spinning slowly in the void of space beyond the glass, and the Arbiter took a step back, only then realizing that this ring was, in fact, a Halo, virtually identical to the one at Threshold.

"Halo," Mercy said with all of the zealousness borne of years of fervent worship, "Its divine wind will rush through the stars, propelling all who are worthy along the path to salvation."

"But how to start this process?" Truth said, stoking the strange fleshy lobes that dangled from his chin, "For ages we searched for one who might unlock the secrets of the ring... an Oracle. And with your help, we've found it." the Prophets guided him over to where 343 Guilty Spark was caught in a stasis field, preventing him from moving or speaking.

"With appropriate humility," Mercy said, "we plied the Oracle with questions, and it, with clarity and grace, has shown us - the key." He pushed a button on his throne, and an image of the Index appeared next to the helpless monitor.

"You will journey to the surface of the ring," Truth told the Sangheili, "and retrieve this Sacred Icon. With it, we shall fulfill our promise -"

"Salvation for all!" Mercy interjected.

"- and begin the Great Journey."

The Arbiter dipped his head to the pair and turned to go complete his task. Once the door sealed behind him, Mercy murmured to Truth, "Do you think he suspects?"

After a moment of silence, the other replied, "No. They all suspect nothing."

* * *

Later, the Elite was on a Phantom headed for the surface of the ring, vaguely listening to Tartarus as he spoke; _"Once the shield is down, we'll head straight to the Library,"_ the Jiralhanae said as he tended his ship, _"I do not wish to keep the Hierarchs waiting."_

The Sangheili decided to voice a question that had been on his mind ever since he heard the news: "The human who killed the Prophet of Regret," he asked, turning his head slightly to better hear the answer, "who was it?"

_"Who do you think?"_

"The Demons are here?!"

Tartarus snorted an affirmative. _"Why? Looking for a little payback?"_ he asked the Elite.

"Retrieving the Icon is my only concern," the Arbiter replied, 'Though the Holy One foretold this, I would still very much love to pursue the beasts and give them a piece of my mind.'

The Brute flying the transport chuckled. " _Of course."_

The Phantom swept in towards the Sentinel Wall protecting the Library, and there were clear signed of a battle having just been concluded, as evidenced by the wreckage of Halo's defenders and splatters of blood from Covenant fighters. The Arbiter confirmed his assessment as he dropped from the Phantom before Tartarus guided it away, and there was a sudden prickling sensation running though his spine, making him turn.

A Sentinel Enforcer was now floating level with him beyond the edge of the platform, and the Arbiter was able to get off three shots at it before Tartarus swooped back in, the Phantom's plasma turrets doing substantial damage to the Enforcer and luring it after the transport as it flew away. _"Lower the shield, Arbiter,"_ the Brute said, _"I'll pick you up when you finish."_

The Elite acknowledged the other alien and turned to complete his task, moving past swarms of Constructors doing repair work in the wake of the recent battle. There only seemed to be one way to move on: activating the pistons and dropping through the spaces they had taken up, falling through the curving passages clearly not meat for organic life forms but able to accommodate them just the same.

He finally reached solid ground again in a room similar to a plasma conduit, what with the power stream running right through the center of the room, Sentinel channels opening up on either side of the stream. There was also an Unggoy and a pair of Kig-Yar fighting a small swarm of Halo's defenders. Knowing that he could use the assistance they would provide, however much or little, the Arbiter unhesitatingly jumped in to help.

As he led them further into the Sentinel wall, the Arbiter kept catching brief wisps of a familiar but faint scent borne to him on the wind, a scent that was much stronger after he defeated the Enforcer guarding the power source of one of the shield generators. He deactivated the locks and opened the blast door, the platform moving out along an unseen but preset track toward the far side. The stench of dead was stronger now but understandable; there were bodies all around him, corpses that the Arbiter ignored as he watched Tartarus' Phantom swoop in next to the platform. _"Our path to the Library is clear,"_  the Brute told him, _“I’ll pick you up on the ledge ahead."_

The blast doors slid back, revealing yet another Enforcer, and the Jiralhanae growled, _"Blasted machines! Make your own way though the wall, Arbiter!"_

The Sangheili clicked his mandibles in irritation, then paused as he once again caught the scent of death and rotting flesh. 'No... It cannot be...'

It was; a Flood combat form leapt to the top level of the platform and began firing on him with its SMG. The Elite gunned it down with his plasma rifle and briefly assessed it; 'It's an infected human... that must mean that they have already passed through here and are on their way to the Library.' He gritted his mandibles and ignored the battle taking place between the Sentinels and the combat forms below, leaping through an open hatch to try and catch up with the humans.

He followed the hall beyond around a slight curve and activated another piston, dropping down to the floor below. The divided hall stank of dying things and Flood spores, the air so tainted that it had taken on a slight greenish tint, and the sound of gunfire in the distance, coupled with the hiss of Sentinel lasers let his know that there was combat ahead. He was met by three lone combat forms, much to his surprise. While he won handily, he kept expecting enemies to pop out from every shadow, despite the fact that Sentinel remains explained the machines' disappearances. In the next small chamber, a small army of Infection pods waited for him, leaping in his direction the moment he came into view.

They died with their brethren, and he made another controlled fall into the next room, where the Elite was met with yet another firefight between Halo's defenders and Halo's prisoners, but this time, at the far side of the room, he caught a glimpse of a hazy figure, only maybe a little shorter than he was, but it was gone before he could get a good look at it.

He fought his way through wave upon wave of combat, then carrier forms, finally able to make it through down to the level below.

It opened up instantly; he was outside now, and there was a battle already in progress between an Enforcer and its supporting Sentinels and the combat forms skittering around on the lower deck. Rather than interfere and get himself killed before the completion of his mission, the Arbiter hung back and took cover behind a large column, waiting for the other foes to duke it out so he could come in and clean up the mess.

After almost a full minute of silence, the Elite ducked out from behind his cover and saw that all of the Flood had been killed, the Sentinels not even paying attention to him, and he used their distraction to sprint across to the opposite housing, where he was promptly detained by the Flood. Though there was only a handful of combat forms, they seemed more vicious than the last ones he'd fought, leaving him with a handful of injuries, none serious.

He pulled a similar tactic in the next room, making it to the piston housing without further incident, but all bets were off in the following conduit room. The air was thick with Flood spores, so much so that they obscured his surroundings and sent visibility plummeting. Based on what he could see, there were cargo modules scattered about here and there, all helter-skelter, and while there were no visible combat forms, it didn't take a degree in philosophy to guess that they were around somewhere.

Thel slipped further into the room, plasma rifles at the ready, wary for any sort of attack -

There was a slow motion just visible in of the corner of his eye.

He whirled just in time to see the same ghostly haze slide back into the gloom, its slightly hunching posture and silent sliding movement marking it as a predator of the highest order, the top of the food chain. It hadn't attacked him yet, but its very presence set the Elite on edge and sent chills down his spine.

He hadn't even noticed its approach. It could kill him at any time.

Despite the taint in the air, the Arbiter forced himself to take slow, deep breaths to calm his racing heart before moving further out into the open to lure in the Flood. It came, swiftly, and in waves, just like its namesake, and it took forever to kill the shambling monstrosities. When he reached the end of the traversable conduit path, he found another piston of the left side and dropped further into the Sentinel Wall.

An equally contaminated room waited for him below, and he took a moment to catch his breath before peering around the bend to see what awaited him: another piston. He activated it and found himself in a large cavern set into the wall, open to their air but there was no visible means of continuing forward except by going downward again.

Despite the remains, the cavern was eerily devoid of life, and he picked up a plasma sword to replace the human pistol that he had picked up before switching out his plasma rifles for ones with higher battery charge. He sighed resolutely, then activated the next piston, falling though a stinking series of curving paths to a steel beam that crossed the opening. He heard the sounds of the Flood undergoing what was unmistakably a plasma bombardment and held his position for the moment, waiting for silence.

When he emerged, there were bodies everywhere, both Flood and uninfected Sangheili, the latter having fallen in battle against the former and taken some with them. Unfortunately, there were still some parasites left, though they quickly fell to the Arbiter's blade, permitting him to continue downward. He got the most spectacular view of the Library, however, when he looked over the edge to see if there were any more potential foes; the Forerunner's creation seemed as pristine as ever, illuminated with golden light as it was, the flawless angles and lines of the home of the Sacred Icon.

**"At least _you_ know how to appreciate art."**

The Sangheili whipped around; the invisible figure was there, standing next to the piston as if nothing was amiss. It had spoken in his tongue; despite a slight accent, it was clearly understandable - and clearly male. "Who are you?" the Arbiter asked suspiciously, trying to peer through the haze of its active camouflage to get a clearer outline.

**"No one you need to concern yourself with yet, and even then, it won't be as an enemy. But I warn you now: when you enter the Library, do not turn your back on Tartarus."**

"…he's going to betray me?"

**"When the time comes, you shall see."**

And then the camouflage strengthened, the figure vanishing on the spot.

The Elite tensed but continued on, thinking on the person's words and the fact that he had only noticed it because it allowed him to. This time he came to a stop on a short stretch of flat passage with a rusted steel door at the far end, which slid open as he approached.

There were Flood all over the canyon ahead, and as the Arbiter slashed the nearest to bits, Sangheili Orbital Insertion Pods began landing all around him, bringing proper comrades for him to fight alongside. With their help, they easily cleaned up the mess, and one of them said, "Forerunners be praised! The Arbiter!" He came to stand next to Thel and continued, "This Quarantine Zone has been compromised. We must do what we can against the Flood. Our Commander has landed further in, let us join him."

The Arbiter nodded and made an affirmative noise, moving for a small stretch of tunnel that would lead to the next area, and the two other Elites followed, joining him in his assault against the first combat forms that they encountered. There were three other Sangheili holding the camp, including one Rtas 'Vadumee. "Arbiter!" he called, "What are you doing here?"

Flood cries began to erupt all over the place, forcing them to stave off their reunion until reinforcements arrived in a Phantom.

"At the center of this zone," the Arbiter told Rtas, "is a Sacred Icon critical to the Great Journey. I must find it."

Rtas nodded and clenched his fist. "We shall cut into the heart of this infestation, retrieve the Icon, and burn any Flood that stand in our way!" The other Sangheili roared their approval, and the SpecOps Commander said, "The Parasite is not to be trifled with. I hope you know what you're doing.

_"Forward, warriors, and fear not pain nor death. Go, Arbiter; I'll follow when our reinforcements arrive."_

Thel jumped into the Spectre that the Phantom had dropped off and waited for the others to board, the remainder of the warriors claiming Ghosts that had been dropped off for them, and they sped through one of the rusted-steel doors, following a similar path through a short stretch of wall before they emerged in a large room a human would equate to a machine shop. Enforcers and Sentinels ruled the air, bombarding the Flood with powerful attacks to destroy their vehicles. "Commander," one of the Sangheili cried, "we found a human vehicle!"

 _"Keep moving,"_ the alien told them, _"I'm on my way."_

They tore through the enemy ranks, but neither the Sentinels nor the Flood went down without a fight, and their Spectre was severely damaged as a result when they emerged from the next stretch of tunnel.

They had arrived on a wide, spiral ramp covered in snow, and over the far side, they could see a human-controlled transport - a "Pelican," and honestly, who names a ship after such an ungainly bird? - firing at the Flood virtually carpeting the area with their monstrosity. The Elites gunned their way through the army of parasites, and passed through one of two doors to a canyon riddled with deeper crevices and filled with Flood in Wraiths fighting Enforcers and their Sentinel support.

Because the state of their vehicle was so bad, they hung back and fought off the individual combat forms that raced their way, while the Enforcers fought and, eventually, won against the tanks. They raced through the area, taking out what they could to help clear the way for their allies to follow, and passed through a short stretch of tunnel, pulling to a stop when they found a Flood-controlled human tank blocking their way. The whole space looked like it had been hit by a plasma bombardment, the metal so hot it glowed, and they could feel the heat even at the distance they were at. An Enforcer was taking care of the other tank on the far side of the room, but they had to deal with this one on their own.

The Arbiter told the two Sangheili to remain hidden and sprinted at it, managing to get inside its field of fire with only a few scrapes; getting on top of it was another matter, especially when it decided to run him over, but the back was just as good as the front. He shoved a plasma grenade through the exhaust vent and leapt away before it exploded, destroying many vital parts and killing the driver.

The Spectre raced up next to him, and he quickly hopped into the side seat, the driver swiftly taking them through the web of Sentinel beams trying to kill them, the three Elites ducking into the ruins of a side passage. They found themselves in what once had been a magnificent building, now only a derelict groaning under the weight of the structure above it; it was not safe, so they stayed to replenish their ammunition and no longer, joining the Sentinels in the battle against the Flood even as they searched the room for a way out before the whole thing collapsed.

They found a passage out when the Flood came charging out of it, letting them know to expect enemies on the other side. They made good their escape, honing their plasma swords on Flood flesh as they charged through the tunnel. The Arbiter pulled up short as they reached the end, and a good thing, too; he likely would not have survived the fiery remains of the Enforcer crashing down on top of him.

* * *

‘How far along is he?’

[He's almost there. Johnson and Miranda?]

‘They're getting close, too, sir. I've got a good visual.’

[Oh? And where are you exactly? Invisible, on top of their gondola?]

‘You... asshole.’

John snickered silently.

* * *

Finally, the last canyon.

The Arbiter pulled his Wraith to a stop and assessed the situation ahead. There were yet more Flood in tanks, apparently guarding the structure that he needed to get to, and there were at least three Enforcers covering the whole canyon.

He guided his vehicle across the dip in the highway and charged one of the Flood's tanks, bombarding it with plasma bombs before it had even noticed him, and by then it was too late. There was an opening on each side of the Forerunner transportation complex, and he swiftly ducked into the one he had just cleared, though the tell-tale sound of one of the steel doors sliding up gave him pause; some combat forms dropped from two of the doors, but a well-placed plasma bomb annihilated the lot.

More were inside, and while it took a bit of maneuvering around the cargo modules in the way, he was able to bring the tank in with him and wear away at the enemy ranks. This proved especially useful when a panel slid back and admitted more into the room; he was able to bring the tank around in time to catch them still bunched up and lobbed a bomb at them, sending the Parasites back to hell.

As his allies swarmed around him, he paused at the side of a dead human combat form lying next to that of a Sangheili, and within his already-doubting mind, he thought, 'In the end, we are not so different, are we?'

The call of one of the other Sangheili made him lift his head and put aside his heretical thoughts, moving on to the transport room, Rtas somewhere behind him. They both charged up a ramp to the controls of the gondola, but another grinding caught their attention; the humans were launching one from another tower, and Rtas said, "They must be after the Icon." Just as the Arbiter was about to start their own to give chase, the unearthly screeches of the Flood caught their attention again. The white-armored Ultra ignited his plasma sword and said, "On your way, Arbiter. I'll deal with these beasts."

He nodded and murmured a soft prayer while in the background, the Chief started swearing. "God dammit, Rtas, you asshole! Couldn't you just leave it to someone else?!?" He sighed. "No. No, I suppose not." [Dacien, Lil'Ame, make sure he doesn't hurt himself, would you?]

'You got it, Commander.'

'This is going to be the death of me,' the Spartan thought to himself as the gondola jolted into motion beneath his feet, 'Seriously, trying to keep so many people alive is going to kill me, and if it doesn't, my insane crew will.'

'HEY!'

[Don't even try to deny it.]

The Spartan listened absently as one of the Elites said, "Look, up ahead. The Parasite gathers for an attack."

Indeed, there were a bunch of enemy combat forms doing their thing on a platform to their forward left, and the Sangheili with ranged weapons fired on them as they approached. The accessible part of the gondola passed under their platform, and the Flood leapt after them, making the jump onto the gondola.

The Spartan snorted and began chuckling quietly, and Venera silently questioned his mirth; [Oh, there had to be at least twelve combat forms total who made the attempt and over half of them missed.]

Several others snickered along with him before they returned to their duties; the immense and stylized blast doors up ahead slid open, permitting the gondola with the Sangheili on board to begin its ascent. John watched as the Elites fought off wave after wave of Flood charging up from below even as he monitored their biosigns; it would do both humanity and the Sangheili no good to lose some of their best fighters.

Finally, the path leveled off again, and the infected Spartan knew it would not be much longer now. 'That's the problem with your cover-up of humanity's ancestry, "Prophets;" the truth... always has a way of coming out.'

The moment he was close enough, the Arbiter jumped onto the main deck of the Library and sprinted into the curving hall beyond. There were Infection pods all over the place, along with countless bodies for them to take over, but he had no time to deal with them, instead tearing right past them and into the Index chamber, where the remains of an Enforcer lay smoldering on the deck.

Miranda Keyes looked around the Index chamber, glancing about for something to hold on to while she retrieved the Index from its holder. Something that could only be described as a tentacle seemed to be her best option; it wasn't as slimy as she expected and had a good amount of grip to it. She tugged it a little closer to the Index and leaned out over the gulf, unaware of the invisible Spartan ready to step in at a moment's notice should Johnson not get there in time. Fortunately, he had nothing to worry about; the S-I caught hold of the tentacle a scant second after is began to slide, and he growled, "You know, your father never asks me for help either."

"The Index is secure," Miranda said by way of a reply as she hooked the T-shaped Key of Death to her belt, and Johnson helped her back up to the platform.

"McKenzie, Perez, how's our exit?" he called to the Marines who were supposed to be guarding the door. "You hear me Marines?" When there was no response, he said, "We've got trouble."

Miranda lifted her SMGs to the ready position even as Johnson warily swept the room with his battle rifle. Though they could not see the enemy, their intuition told them that it was there, a belief confirmed when Johnson spotted the tell-tale distortions in the air that marked the presence of an enabled active camouflage unit. It vaulted over a piece of the destroyed Enforcer, and Johnson cursed as he fired at it, trying to slow its progress.

The sergeant major managed to slam his battle rifle against the Arbiter's head twice, but it did nothing to phase the Elite, who simply gripped him by the shoulders and steadied his position on the floor. "How you doin'," Johnson grunted, and the Arbiter growled quietly before headbutting the human, knocking him out cold.

The Elite's neck was beginning to ache; the human's blows had had some real power behind them, which meant that he would have to finish this quickly. He dropped the male when the female began to fire on him, following him around the room. He heard her calling out to her male companion and used her distraction as an opportunity to leap in close and bat her weapons away with a single swipe of his hand. The Sangheili was about to render her unconscious as well when a crackling field of gravitational energy surrounded her, formed by the Fist of Rukt.

**_'Do not turn your back on Tartarus.'_ **

The Arbiter tensed his muscles in case he needed to attack, only vaguely hearing the Brute speak as the figure's voice echoed inside his head. He was not even conscious of the fact that he himself had spoken, only that the hormone humans called 'adrenaline' was rushing through his veins with every pulse of his hearts, eyes flicking between the three Brutes that approached from before and either side.

"When the Hierarchs hear of this, they will have your head."

"Fool. They ordered me to do it."

Betrayal from the ones who were supposed to lead his people.

Betrayal from the ones who were supposed to guide them all on the Great Journey.

A pulse from the Fist of Rukt. Falling. Black.

* * *

 _It's the fear_   
_Fear of the darkness_   
_Growing inside of me,_   
_That one day will come to life._   
( _Have to save)_   
_To save my beloved,_   
_There is no escape,_   
_Because my fate is horror and doom._

\- "It's the Fear," Within Temptation ( _The Silent Force_ )


	18. Seventeen: Gravemind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brains!

Fred came to slowly, with the realization that there were lights passing by overhead. He and his brothers and sisters were being dragged over the metal floor of a Forerunner structure, bound in strong tendrils of flesh. He shook his head, trying to orient himself despite the sharp bouncing of his body over the uneven floor, and reflexively struggled against his bonds, sensing that his brothers and sisters had begun to do the same. The tentacles only wrapped them tighter before they were lifted up into the air.

Cortana spoke over the local radio. "What... is _that_?"

The _thing_ was very much like a snake, but it was almost entirely mouth, with two long tendrils for a “lower lip” and no visible eyes, and many slimy-looking waving tentacles, a handful of which were wrapped around each of the Spartans. Its body covered the entire floor of the cavernous space and spread partway up the walls, an impressive task in and of itself, but they could not discern its true color in the misty green light.

The immense head - no eyes, only mouth - pulled back slightly, as if affronted. **"I?"** it said, before leaning uncomfortably close and breathing green mist over them as it spoke, if it could be called speaking; **"I... am a monument... to all your sins."** They could hear its voice inside their heads, too; it was uncomfortable, knowing that they were not even safe from this... this... _thing_ even inside their own minds.

And it had used the same words of the person in black from Alpha Halo; what were they to make of that?

Whipping noises, the sound of something whistling through the air, and two tentacles brought a silver-armored Elite into the cavernous space, one wrapped around his torso, the other around his right arm even as he struggled to escape the thing's grip. Other tentacles moved to help hold him. He was finally level with the Spartans, and that was where the thing held him as he continued to struggle.

" _Relax_ ,” Fred growled, jerking his head toward the creature, “I'd rather not piss this thing off."

"Demons," the Elite hissed at them before focusing on the Gravemind.

 **"These ones are _machine_ and _nerve_ ,"** it growled, pulling the Spartans slightly closer and subtly shifting and tightening its grip, making them renew their struggles as it petted Fred's helmet with one tentacle, **"and have their minds concluded."** It let out a low rumbling noise deep in its throat as it turned its attention to the Arbiter. Fred yanked the tentacle away from his eyes and watched as it turned the Sangheili this way and that before finally tipping him upside down. **"This one is but _flesh_ and _faith_ , and is the more _deluded_."**

"Kill me or release me, Parasite," the Elite growled, every instinct in his body rebelling against his vulnerable position, "but do not waste my time with talk!"

 **"There _is_ much talk,"** it rumbled, **"and _I_ have listened - through _rock_ and _metal_ and _time_."** Its immense head pulled away from them, more tentacles reaching down into the darkness below them. **"Now I shall talk, and _you_ shall listen."**

It pulled up a Monitor by one of its wing-like cowlings and the Prophet of Regret fused to a much thicker segment of tentacle. "Greetings!" the red Monitor said cheerfully, "I am Twenty-Four-Oh-One Penitent Tangent. I am the Monitor of Installation Zero-Five."

"And I am the Prophet of Regret, councilor most high... Hierarch of the Covenant!"

Penitent Tangent took notice of the Spartans. "Reclaimers?! Here?! At last! We have much to do. This facility must be activated if we are to control this outbreak!"

"S-stay where you are," Regret gasped, "Nothing can be done until my sermon is complete!"

The Monitor sounded indignant when he spoke again. "Not true. This Installation has a successful utilization record of one-point-two trillion simulated and one actual. It is ready to fire on-demand."

Regret turned to speak with the Arbiter. "Of all the objects our lords left behind, there are none so worthless as these Oracles! They know nothing of the Great Journey!"

"And you know nothing about containment!” Tangent spat back, “You have demonstrated complete disregard for even the most basic protocols!"

It was then that the Gravemind broke into their argument. **"This one's containment,"** it said with a shudder, hefting Penitent Tangent,  then Regret, **"and this one's Great Journey are the same."**

Both were returned to the darkness below, but they heard the Monitor crying out in fear, something that sent a chill down all of the mortals' spines. What was this thing _doing_ to the poor AI - and why was Cortana shaking in fear in the back of Fred's helmet, continuously whispering nonsensical words interspersed with a name - John?

 **"Your Prophets,"** the Gravemind continued, its massive, fleshy head swaying closer to the Arbiter, its spore-laced breath giving him an irresistible urge to cough, **"have promised you freedom from a doomed existence, but you will find no salvation on this ring. Those who built this place knew what they wrought. Do not mistake their intent, or all will perish, as they did before."**

"This thing is right," Fred interjected, reluctant to agree with the Gravemind, but he felt the need to drive home the truth it told."Halo is a weapon; you're Prophets are making a big mistake."

"Your ignorance already destroyed one of the Sacred Rings, Demons," the Arbiter snapped, "It shall not harm another."

The Gravemind could see that the Arbiter required more convincing. **"If you will not hear the truth, then I will show it to you. There is still time to stop the Key from turning-"** At this, it appeared to look up through the roof, its "eyes" locked on something far away. **"-but first, it must be found. You,"** speaking to the Spartans, **"will search one likely spot, and you,"** meaning the Arbiter, **"will search another. Fate had us meet as foes, but this ring will make us brothers."** It tapped into Halo's teleportation system, feeling the Other's presence give way before it, a momentary victory; it threw the humans and Sangheili away from itself, teleporting them to different locations around - and on - Halo.

* * *

The fighting on and around _High Charity_ was terrible on both sides, Sangheili-controlled ships firing on Brute-controlled ones; though their skills were far superior, they were by far outnumbered. The Jiralhanae had the Kig-Yar, the Unggoy, and the Yam'ee at their backs; all but a few of the Huragok were largely ambivalent, and the Mgalekgolo were split amongst themselves, sometimes even within their own colonies.

The battles inside were just as bad as the ones on the out, save far bloodier, and Brutes were ruthlessly killing any who tried to enter the Council Chamber. Truth was broadcasting all over the city from inside, via the Covenant equivalent of television _. "We are all of us gravely concerned. The release of the Parasite was unexpected, unfortunate, but... there is no need to panic. In truth, this is a time to rejoice, a moment that all the Covenant should savor - for the Sacred Icon has been found."_ Truth held up the Index before the camera. _"With it, our Path is clear, our entry into the Divine Beyond, guaranteed. The Great Journey is nigh, and nothing, not even the Flood, can stop it."_

The Flood may not have been the one doing the actual stopping, but it had sent its regards through its unofficial representatives: Red and Blue Teams. They materialized in the Council Chamber, eight fully-armored and utterly unstoppable juggernauts, unarmed for the moment but that meant nothing; they had been trained to be just as effective with their bare hands, but it seemed that the Gravemind had more invested in them than they realized. It provided them with enough Covenant weapons for each to have one and at least two reloads for the needlers and carbines, and all of them hefted the firearms, glaring at Truth from behind their visors.

Their Brute Honor guards stepped forward to protect Truth and Mercy, and the former snapped, "Kill the Demons!" He pushed a button on his throne, and the Prophets’ platform descended through the floor, and Fred barely managed to stop Kelly from making a jump for it, instead turning their weapons on the two Brutes and the Grunts that had manned the cameras. They picked up the weapons that their foes had dropped; they needed all the firepower that they could get in the heart of _High Charity._ It was not long after they died that a second wave of foes entered the chamber, almost insultingly few, and it didn't take long until they, too, had begun their "Great Journey."

"Put me down on one of the pedestals by the door," Cortana said in Fred's ear, and they moved in that direction as a collective, providing cover for the Senior Chief as he laid a hand on the holo-imager. "That Prophet, Truth," she told them, "He has the Index. You've got to take it from him. Let me get these doors." There was a familiar tone as they unlocked, then hissed open. "Go. It'll be easier to track Truth if I stay in the network."

Though reluctant to leave her, the Spartans knew that she spoke the truth and darted through the open door, across the intersection, and through the opposite door, coming face-to-face with a partition not unlike the ones the Forerunners had in their Installations. A Grunt rounded one side; Kelly shot him with her plasma pistol, and the two teams circled around either side, weapons at the ready. There were more of the stubby aliens in the room beyond, and Linda and Jerome killed the two manning the plasma turrets as fast as they possibly could, making it safer for their siblings-in-arms to take out the rest of the little buggers before moving after the Brutes on the far side of the room.

The alien apes hadn't done much to stop them from killing their underlings, just fired a few shot here and there before ducking back under cover, and they were both slain before one could berserk, enabling the Spartans to continue on without being chased by a red-eyed gorilla.

* * *

"The Librarian's Dreadnought... It's been millennia since I've seen it."

The Chief and a handful of other Infected stood in the presently open bay where the Spartans would make their grand escape. The sleek silver metal was a little more worn, a little more aged than when they had last seen it, docked on the San 'Shyuum home world after being brought from Earth. The Spartan had not known which Dreadnought the Prophets had actually acquired, but after careful assessment of his memories and known data packets he had gotten glimpses of while on board, it could have been none other.

It was on this ship... that the Didact's love had perished after the firing of the Halo's. They could have done something to save her; they had advantages that the Origin had not, but...

John shook his head to rid himself of the memories and stepped further into the ship. In the distance behind him, he sensed the Spartans emerging onto the platform where he'd gotten his first look at the Dreadnought, back in the Origin, and he turned, switching his helmet to maximum zoom and just barely reaching the platform, seeing them dueling with the various aliens guarding it.

* * *

More of them came up the grav lift at the far end of the platform, and a pair of green-armored Grunts were carrying plasma turrets; behind her visor, Linda's lips curled into a snarl, and she dropped to one knee, bringing her recently-acquired beam rifle to bear on one of the aliens. Even before its body hit the ground, she had already brought the barrel of the rifle around and fired at the second Grunt, sending it to join its comrade. Douglas got one of the Brutes, while Sam took the other, and the remainder of the Spartans dealt with everything else, finally gathering around the grav lift and the holopanel next to it.

"Truth is moving through the lower levels of the tower," Cortana told them, eyes locked on the Eiffel Tower-shaped ship out in the center of the city, "I'll reverse this grav lift; drop down, try to cut him off." She turned to look at the Spartans as they blinked dubiously at the opening. "It's safe, really; just step in."

Fred sighed and went first, the powerful currents of the grav lift catching him and depositing him gently on the floor below. Sam landed next to him, and they moved forward out of the way of the others just as a trio of Grunts exited the door in front of them.

When all of the Spartans were on the lower level, they moved forward around the partition and followed the slope down through the next room; it was strangely empty, making Cortana whisper in their ears, _"It looks like they've got bigger problems right now - or they're about to, anyway."_ She was rerouting all of the enemies taking grav lifts away from the area, forcing them to move on foot, and by the time they got to the Spartans' location, the warriors were already gone.

A trio of Jackals greeted them through the next door with heavy plasma fire, but the warriors overwhelmed them and swept through the room, slaying the Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts that they found there.

_"Wait a minute, I'm reading some Marines IFF transponders! They're originating somewhere below your position."_

In the last room in the string, there was another grav lift that took them further into the tower...

* * *

John stretched out on the top of the cargo module in one of the holds, watching as his Infected made fun of one another's "combat forms," the Spartan having mutated their appearances so that they looked like ordinary infected humans; they had even donned some stolen uniforms to look the part.

Now, of course, they were determined to razz one another, no matter how much it made him sigh and shake his head in exasperation. They got like that occasionally, which was why they needed rules.

Speaking of which...

"Oi."

"Yes, Ta'Ron?"

"Don't call me that; I'm not the Captain of the Guard. Rule Number One while we're gallivanting around: not talking aloud. You're supposed to be brainless combat forms. Rule Number Two: no pranks - _this means you, Venera, Kenera._ "

"Aw, man!"

"Rule Number Three: no spoofs or snarking or sarcasm inside my head. Clear?"

A multitude of sighs. "Yes, Commander."

* * *

 _"Fear the pink mist,"_ Cortana snickered in Kelly's ear as she unloaded half a magazine from each of her needlers at a Brute captain hovering outside the door where the last of the Marine cellblocks was. As quietly as possible, they slipped into the room and "assassinated" the Brute inside, along with its Unggoy entourage, freeing the Marines from their cells, and they quickly made their way back to the central grav lift on the AI's instructions. After they eliminated all of the aliens that came down the lift, they headed up to the level that they had seen before, the one with the corpses of the SpecOps Elites lying around.

Just as they alighted on the platform, three Elite Minors chased by a flock of Yam'ee charged into the room; startled, the Spartans lifted their weapons and fired, taking out the lot of them at once under the hail of fire.

As they moved on, they could hear Truth ranting over the PA system about how the Elites had failed to protect them, putting their lives at risk. _"Truth is turning on the Sangheili,"_ Cortana told them, _"They're being killed all over the city. It's... it's awful."_

In the very next room, they encountered a pair of Hunters, and despite the Marines freaking out, they were easy to slay when you had eight Spartans on your side. They headed through the door behind the partition at the back of the hall and found themselves out in the open air, standing on the edge of something like a garden filled with enemy aliens.

All of the Spartans wore identical expressions of jaw-dropped-WTF-are-you-serious behind their visors, and the humans stood there, blinking, for several seconds as they stared in wonder as the designer's obvious stupidity. It didn't even look like a conventional garden, for crap's sake, what with all the random boulders and dead trees, but the plasma fire may have had something to do with that. And the birds! What sane person puts _birds_ on a space ship with an already heavily burdened oxygen supply?!

Finally, Alice heaved an immense sigh and turned back around, vanishing into the room from whence they'd come. When they followed her back, they found that she'd flopped to the ground in one of the alcoves and taken her helmet off so that she could eat one of her protein bars in relative peace. One by one, the other humans joined her, giving their energy levels a boost while simultaneously letting the Covenant fight themselves out before they swept in to clean up the rest.

They passed through the next door, and Cortana came over the COM; _"Did you enjoy your snack time?"_

"Maybe."

_"Well, good, because the Covenant just destroyed two of their own ships because the Flood is onboard."_

"Shit."

_"My thoughts exactly. I'll keep you posted."_

The next room was a long, formal hall with an almost ridiculously steep slope ad no one in it, fortunately for the not-yet-deceased Covenant personnel. The next space was open and had a horizontal gravity lift spanning a gulf in the towers. They approached the pad -

Only to hear the familiar hiss-explosion of a human Slipspace rupture.

The humans' heads whipped around, trying to see - "It's _In Amber Clad_!" Cortana called, just as the ship blasted overhead and curved away from the wall, heading in the same direction that they had been going. "Hailing... No response," the construct said, putting some fingers to her temple, "Wait. I'm getting something from Keira, the ship's on-board AI... they've been overrun by Flood!"

[Shit! I forgot about that!]

'Smooth move, dumbass.'

[Shut the fuck up,] he growled, but it lacked any real heat.

"She's crashed into another tower ahead of our position, and I'm not registering any human vital signs." Even as Cortana spoke, John's crew was already on the move, teleporting onboard and searching for any survivors while killing the enemy Flood; they were already infected, and could not be so again until their body was "killed."

The Spartans and Marines made their way across the grav lift and quickly slew the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae that came around the bend once the Jackal guard was dead. The Grunts were much easier, and a handful of the Marines simply chose to knock them off the platform rather than waste ammo on them; the end result was the same. They rounded the bend and came across another outdoor garden, this one with few plants but a waterfall and rectangular pond instead.

Of course, it was filled with fighting Covenant.

* * *

"Hey, guys. How far do you think the shot from a beam rifle will go?"

"Uh... maybe half a mile before the light diffuses too much to be lethal. Why?"

"I guess we're gonna find out."

* * *

When the Spartans followed the path around another tree-like protrusion, they found themselves at another horizontal grav lift - where there were a lot of dead bodies. They didn't question it, moving on instead; the Flood was a bigger problem than mysterious corpses. The next room was filled with fighting Elites and Drones, but rather than wait for them to kill each other, they simply mowed through the opposition, ending up with only minor injuries that needed to e treated with a few quick puffs of biofoam to seal off the wounds.

Their next areas were, once again, the Covenant's unusual water gardens with, once again, mysterious dead bodies. This time was not coincidental, and they paused to examine the deceased enemies.

"They were shot from a great distance, and based on the size of the wound and angle of entry, I'd say our sniper is using a beam rifle."

"From where?"

Linda looked up from the bodies and peered around for a moment before pointing at the Dreadnought. "That's the most likely candidate. It's the only thing high enough to actually get a good visual from."

"Hmm. Let's keep moving, people."

The next room had a steep upward slope, and three Brutes appeared at the top, all carrying Brute shots. Though they lost a Marine to a berserker, the humans were able to continue on virtually unimpeded. Whilst they cleared the next "garden," Kenera piped up, _"Hey Cortana."_

"Yes?"

_"Do you think the Commander's theme song should be 'I'm Too Sexy?'"_

The Spartans were very alarmed when Cortana suddenly burst out laughing for no apparent reason over the radio before it snapped off. "I was more going for 'You're Going Down' by Sick Puppies. Why do you ask?"

_"Well, all of the visible enemies ahead of the Spartans are clear, so there's nothing really left for us to do. So, naturally, we decided to finish the argument of what the Chief's theme song should be. Your suggestion is very much win, by the way. It has about six thousand votes and counting."_

"Ah. Well, let me know when the final results are in."

_"Of course."_

Each successive hall was virtually identical to the one before it; it was a wonder none of the aliens got lost patrolling the area. Or, that was what they thought until they reached the Mausoleum of the Arbiter. There was already a battle in progress between some Elites and Brutes, and Cortana appeared on a nearby holopanel to tell them that, "You might consider sitting this one out."

"So, what was that earlier?" Fred hissed at her as they hunkered down just inside the door.

"What was what?"

"That laughing thing that you did."

"Oh, that. Just catching up with some old friends." She grinned sinisterly, and they didn't question her any further. After several minutes, she said it was safe to go ahead; there was only one Hunter left. Even as they eliminated it, she let them know that Miranda and Johnson were closing on Truth's position, and they picked up the pace, sprinting through the next open hall to the opposite door.

* * *

There were three of them, easily seven feet tall, and one of them carried 343 Guilty Spark under his arm like he was some kind of oversized bowling ball. "Split them," Tartarus growled to the other two, "One in each Phantom." Even as the other two shoved their prisoners toward their respective Phantoms, he moved to kneel before the two remaining Prophets.

"The hopes of all the Covenant rest on your shoulders, Chieftain," Truth said, handing the Index to the kneeling Brute as if he was conferring some unspeakable honor to the other.

"My faith is strong," Tartarus assured the Prophets as he took the Index, "I will not fail."

Just then, numerous Infection pods climbed over one of the balustrades ringing the platform and began skittering toward the Covenant aliens, and the Brutes flung aside their weapons to begin smashing the pods with their bare feet and hands. However, one managed to get through and tackled Mercy off his throne, making the Prophet cry out in pain. Tartarus made to help him, but Truth called, "Let him be. The Great Journey waits for no one, brother. Not even you."

One by one, the aliens moved away from the dying Prophet, leaving him alone.

* * *

 _Yeah, I get it,_ _  
_You're an outcast._   
_Always under attack._ _A  
lways coming in last,_   
_Bringing up the past._   
_No one owes you anything._   
_I think you need a shotgun blast,_   
_A kick in the ass,_   
_So paranoid. . ._ _W__  
atch your back! 

-"Sound of Madness," Shinedown ( _The Sound of Madness_ )


	19. Eighteen: Uprising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the best of shooters, it was the worst of shooters…

The rings of brilliant, glowing gold were the only warning any nearby creatures would have had before the Arbiter appeared and was dropped unceremoniously onto the cliff edge. He rubbed his wrist irritably, glad to be out of the Gravemind's clutches but wondering where he was. There were no enemies in sight, but that meant nothing; they could just as easily be lying in wait for him elsewhere. He picked up a plasma rifle that lay at his feet and moved forward out of the open, heading into the brush before him, where he found the sources of the mysterious blood stains all over the place.

His brethren.

One of them managed to gasp out with his dying breath, "The Brute have betrayed us. The Councilors..."

The Arbiter gritted his mandibles in fury and took up the fallen Sangheili's plasma sword, continuing further into the forest and slaying the Brute he came across, switching out his plasma pistols for one of their Brute shots; it was far more effective against the beasts when they were berserk, and despite its weight, it packed a powerful punch.

He panted for breath when he paused outside of a Forerunner structure and was surprised when it slid open, a Minor in blue stepping out to greet him. "By the Prophets," he murmured, "What have these Brutes done? They have shed our brothers' blood, and for that they must die." Thel had just expressed his agreement when several drop pods fell from the sky, escaping from their overrun ships, and the Minor grunted, "So much for a stealthy advance."

The Arbiter was willing to take whatever he could get, however, and five fighters were better than two. They moved into the structure, emerging into a cavern where some Jackals were chasing terrified Grunts about on the upper levels while Brutes stood by and laughed, their foolish backs to the door. The Sangheili took them out and then moved to save the Unggoy from their tormentors before continuing further into the structure.

The next room had two levels, and they'd emerged on the upper tier, the unfortunate Jiralhanae and Kig-Yar on the floor below. Their plasma grenades were sufficient to slay the Brutes, and they took care of the Jackals personally, pausing to murmur a soft prayer for the fallen. The next room was also multi-tiered, and they dropped down each successive level after firing and dropping grenades on the foes of the level below.

In the next transitory room, they found the corpses of more of their brethren, which only served to infuriate them but make them cold and calculating, ready for vengeance. The Brutes in the next room stood no chance against the driven warriors, and they fell with ease, barely halting the Elites' advance through the complex. They passed through another room and out into the open, where a squad of Brutes and Jackals waited to kill them.

They were not successful by any means, and the Sangheili met the Brute captain in the subsequent canyon with humming plasma swords and furious snarls. The Elites stole their Ghosts and moved on at a much faster pace, clearing the way and killing the drivers of more Ghosts in the following canyons until everyone was mounted.

It was then that the Arbiter caught a vague flash of movement out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look, no one was atop the cliff where he saw the motion. He paused, then moved on.

* * *

'Phew. That was close.'

[What happened?]

'The Arbiter, he almost saw us.'

[Oh?]

'Yeah, well, you know how our moving active camo and our stationary active camo are two different systems? Well, there was a bit of a momentary delay in my armor's switch, so I was visible for about two seconds. No one noticed, though.'

[Take a break and re-cycle your armor through the start-up procedure. That should get rid of the problem.]

'You got it, Commander!'

* * *

They continued on in the same fashion until they reached the end of a waterfall at two circular canyons. There were Brutes everywhere and two Wraiths in the next canyon over; by unspoken consent, the gold-armored Field Major and the Arbiter went off to challenge the Wraiths while the others clear the path to the next door, then fired on the tanks from the stone bridge dividing the canyons. It took a grand total of sixteen minutes to finish all of the fights and move to the door. Inside was a small armory, and they took the time to switch out their weapons before moving on.

The four Brutes were not much of a challenge for the Sangheili, nor were the other foes that emerged from a tunnel hidden in part of the structure. They followed the trail of corpses back to their source and found an immense blast door, which slid open as they approached, letting them out onto a beach. Even as they jogged out onto the smooth sand, a Wraith rounded a corner and approached them, but just as it drew close, it deactivated, and - Rtas 'Vadumee appeared from inside. "By the Rings, Arbiter," he growled, and none of the Sangheili had ever been so happy to see the SpecOps Commander, "The Councilors - are they -"

"Murdered," Thel replied, mandibles set into a grim line, "by the Brutes."

"Vile, disloyal beasts," the SpecOps Sangheili snarled, slamming his fist down against a section of armor on the tank, "The Prophets were fools to trust them."

The Arbiter was about to explain that it was the Prophets who ordered it when a Phantom swooped overhead and stopped at the door of the Control Room, depositing Tartarus, a few of his Brutes, and a human female on the platform, whereupon they promptly proceeded inside.

* * *

The Spartans arrived just in time to see the last of the Phantoms take off from the tower, no doubt carrying their target. Behind his visor, Fred gritted his teeth, then noticed movement. One of the two remaining Prophets had been abandoned on the tower platform, and he paced over to it. "Your pal. Where's he going?" It was phrased as a question, but his tone brooked no argument as the other Spartans joined him in ringing Mercy.

"Earth," the Prophet gasped, "To finish what we started. And this time, none of you will be left behind." He cried out in pain when Fred tugged the Infection pod off of his throat, and it popped in his grasp, causing him to make a face and wipe off the gunk on Mercy's robes.

Cortana abruptly materialized on Mercy's throne and said, "That structure in the center of the city - it's a Forerunner ship! And Truth is heading straight for it! If he leads the Covenant fleet to Earth, they won't stand a chance; you have to stop him."

"That Brute has the Index - and Miranda and Johnson," Douglas interjected, "He can activate the ring."

"If he does, I'll detonate _In Amber Clad_ 's reactor just like we did the _Autumn_ 's. The blast will destroy this city and the ring. Not a very original plan, but we know it'll work." Fred reached for her, but she took a step back. "No. I don't want to chance a remote detonation. I need to stay here."

Way in the distance, "GOD _DAMMIT_ , WOMAN!!!"

Just then, a Pelican - being piloted very inexpertly - swerved over and crashed onto their platform, disgorging a veritable flood of combat forms in their direction. A few of the Spartans cursed as they lifted their weapons and began firing at the parasitic lifeform as it charged them. _"Flood-controlled dropships are touching down all over the city,"_ Cortana told them over the COM, _"That creature beneath the Library - that Gravemind - used us. We were just a diversion._ In Amber Clad _was always its intended vector."_

"Asshole."

Cortana chose to ignore that. _"There's a conduit connecting this tower to the ship. Head back inside; I'll lead you to it."_ She was already preparing her countermeasures against the Gravemind, already dropping off her message, already activating certain protocols that would temporarily shut her down and keep her that way until John came for her, preventing the Gravemind from accessing her data.

[AH-HA! Gotcha!]

'Wait, what? Got who?'

Just as they were about to advance on the Flood, the bright gold rings of Halo's teleportation network spun into existence, dropping White and Gray Teams onto the platform next to them.

'Ah. That's who you've got.'

[Can't very well _leave_ them here, now can we?]

'Point.'

For a moment, everyone simply blinked at one another - and then Epheria in Shard form decided to pop up.

"I thought you were staying with Commander Keyes."

_Well, she told me to get the hell out when the Brutes captured her, so I've kind of just been... lurking._

[That makes her sound like a stalker. Is that the "Shard" that wants to talk to me?]

'Yes. Just hear her out before you start shooting, okay? And it can wait until you're back on Earth.'

Fred scooped her up and bolted for the door, swiftly backpedalling and firing at the Covenant that came out before charging back in once they were dead. They moved around the partition immediately beyond the door and charged across the room, where they were met by a pack of Brutes fighting Infected Elites and humans. The Spartans mowed through the foes and plowed into the next room, which was completely dominated by a gravity lift. _"Going up,"_ Cortana muttered in their ears, then said as they ascended, _"I'll disable this grav lift once you reach the top. That should slow them down."_

The next room was more of an immense cavernous space, and a platform descended from somewhere above them to fill the area in front of their very short platform. They swiftly realized what its purpose was when it bridged the gap between it and them, and a pair of horizontal grav lift points activated on it; it carried them all over to the next platform, where they were forced to gun down all of the Covenant and the pair of combat forms fighting them. All of the Spartans were on edge, and they just about had heart attacks when they reached the door on the next platform over - revealing another set of combat forms.

"!!!!!"

The hall beyond that was eerily silent and filled with a faint green mist, signaling the presence of Flood. Indeed, there were two more combat forms there, and after they had been dispatched, Fred called a halt, a pause in combat for them to calm themselves down; Kelly had actually gotten injured on that last round, and both her and her suit needed to be patched up as quickly as possible to prevent Flood spores from getting into the wound.

They moved on when their "cool" had returned, coming across Covenant and Flood fighters both and blowing them to gory bits, as well as some carrier forms, before passing through the curved hall that had once been their battlefield. Beyond there, they could clearly see _things_ beginning to take root and grow on the walls, making them shiver in disgust as they passed and reminding them that the Gravemind from Alpha Halo - if it had been such - was about a civilized as they came.

The further they went, the more bloody corpses they came across, limbs torn from their original bodies, blood splatters all up the wall, chunks of flesh strewn about with reckless abandon; they arrived in another garden, and a battle whose result they had already seen was taking place on the various ridges and logs in the area. Both the Covenant and the Flood took little notice of the Spartans as they passed through, and those that did were slain immediately as Truth ranted over the PA system; they ignored him with practiced ease - until the Gravemind came over the line. **"Arrogant creature,"** it boomed, its voice magnified a thousand times, **"Your deaths will be instantaneous, while we shall suffer the progress of infinitude!"**

[I agree with Alice. He's an asshole.]

The winding paths and halls were filled with growing things, and not by any means the pleasant kind; Cortana was saying something about the security systems in this part of the tower, but they couldn't pay attention to her. Their ears were filled with a strange, throbbing, pulsing sensation not unlike the beating of a heart, and Truth came over the PA system again, saying, _"Who so ever is gripped by fear, take heed. I am the Prophet of Truth, and I am not afraid. Noble Mercy is here at my side, his wise counsel near to my ears."_

Even more sinister now, the Gravemind: **"We exist together now; two corpses... in one grave."**

They found themselves tightly packed together on an elevator of some kind, all of them just barely managing to get on, and Kelly bent an arm at a truly uncomfortable angle to activate it and send them soaring upward. _"These are the Prophet Hierarchs' private quarters,"_ Cortana told them as their mind began to clear, _"their inner sanctum."_ They were out of the worst of the Flood mist, now, but they were not out of the woods yet; they could hear arms fire as they spilled out onto a walkway, grateful to be free of the incredibly close quarters on the elevator.

"Not too far now," Fred gasped out as encouragement before shaking himself free of the strange stupor that consumed his mind. The other Spartans used similar methods to "wake themselves up," Kelly actually slapping Linda when she was unable to throw off the daze on her own.

The Brutes and Jackals guarding the chambers gunned for them the moment they were spotted, but they were no match for one Spartan, much less sixteen, and the lot of them advanced to the door on the opposite side of the hall - just as a Flood screech filled the room. Fred took a deep breath to calm himself and turned back to the room at large just in time to see some combat forms drop from overhead and tear off in their direction. His shotgun blew bloody holes in their ranks, sending viscera and limbs flying; there were only about ten of them, swiftly dispatched.

 _"Almost there,"_ Cortana told them, _"Head through the door on your right and up the grav lift."_ She was having no problem stalling the launch sequence; the fragments of Mendicant Bias on the ship had been programmed to recognize her commands as ones to be obeyed so long as they did not contradict an order given from a higher-ranking officer.

The Spartans flew out of the grav lift one after another and raced across the loading zone, ignoring the Flood and the Covenant until they reached the actual boarding area. There, those that weren't next in line for the conduit turned and engaged all enemies in sight, even as beam rifle shots whizzed past them from the Dreadnought. Fred was last, and Cortana initiated the launch sequence as he cleared the last accelerator, sending him sliding inside, where the other Spartans were already waiting.

Along with the Gravemind from Alpha Halo and a number of his combat forms. He turned his head to the tower where Cortana's hologram could just barely be seen on maximum zoom, murmuring, **"After I'm through with Truth..."**

_"Don't make a girl a promise... if you know you can't keep it."_

The Dreadnought accelerated through the opening in _High Charity_ 's ceiling, jumping to Slipspace the moment it reached the minimum safe distance.

* * *

"What is that place?" the Arbiter asked Rtas, nodding at the Control Room of Halo, and the Sangheili followed his gaze.

"Where the Councilors were meant to watch the consecration of the Icon. The start of the Great Journey."

The Gravemind's words echoed inside the Arbiter's head: **"There is still time to stop the key from turning."** "I must get inside," he told Rtas, and the other nodded.

"Then mount up, Arbiter. I know a way to break those doors." Rtas heaved himself out of the Wraith and let the Arbiter take over, jogging over to the Spectre that had just arrived and climbing into the gunner seat, leading the way through the canyons of foes and stone, helping Thel blow the Wraiths and Ghosts that stood in their way to oblivion. All the while, the Arbiter wondered what Rtas could possibly have up his sleeve that could defeat the might of the Forerunners - until he saw the legs of the Scarab. He blinked, then thought, 'Yes, that would about do it.'

"There, Arbiter," the SpecOps Commander called, "That Scarab's main gun will break the Control Room's door. At the far end of the beach there's a passage into the cliff. It'll take you up to the Scarab." Though the other could not see him, Thel nodded and guided his Wraith over in the direction Rtas had said, encountering two Wraiths standing between him and his destination. As he bombarded them while evading their own plasma bombs, 'Vadumee spoke again: "The Brutes control the cruiser, Arbiter. I'll remain here, make sure no reinforcements get in behind you. Then, I'm going to take the cruiser back!"

He grunted an acknowledgement as he destroyed the last of the Wraiths and began work on the individual ground troops, lobbing bombs into tight knots of Brutes as they charged his tank like idiots. He entered through the blast door and drew up short when he found himself nose-to-muzzle with a fuel rod gun, and another Sangheili called, "The Arbiter? I thought he was dead! Hold your fire!" he said to the two Mgalekgolo before returning his attention to the other Elite, “The Hunters have come to our aid, Arbiter. They will fight by our side."

The Sangheili looked up at the two armored behemoths and said, "It is good to have you with us."

The pair acknowledged his subtle praise with a quiet rumble before following them into the next room and through the door, around a bend and out into the open floor of the chamber beyond. All four opened fire on the Brutes holding the upper level, but it was the Hunters who were most effective and for obvious reasons.

Beyond the door was a short stretch of tunnel that opened up into a wider cavern, and the platforms in it were virtually covered in Brutes with Brute shots. The Hunters proved invaluable in this section of the battlefield, as they were able to fire their fuel rod guns across the gap in the U-shaped platform, their tough armor protecting them from the Brute shots while the Elites circled around and flanked the enemy. Coming at them from two sides proved to be very effective, and they moved on to a bridge guarded by Jackals and Drones, a Phantom hovering between the bridge and the Control Room, the doors of the latter still tightly sealed.

The Jackals died in an incandescent explosion via a grenade, and they began firing on the Yam'ee as they buzzed around overhead, narrowly evading the Phantom's plasma fire by ducking into the opposite hatch. They fought their way to a room that served as a prison for a pair of Councilors and another set of Hunters. "Free our brothers!" the other Sangheili shouted, "Death to the Brutes!"

The Arbiter moved to break open the prison cells while the other Elite and Hunters fired on the Brutes that spilled out of the door on the far side of the room, and it did not take long for the Councilors to prove that their plasma swords were functional as well as ceremonial, putting the Brutes to the edge of the blade. They passed as one large group through the final hall and emerged onto the platform where the Scarab stood, and as they charged out into the open, they could hear the Brutes talking about executing their prisoners. Rather than slay them as they originally would have done, the Elites slew the guards and freed the humans, and just as the Arbiter was turning to board the Scarab, it activated on its own.

 _"Listen,"_ Johnson growled over the Scarab’s external speakers, _"you don't like me and I sure as hell don't like you. But if we don't do something, Mister Mohawk's gonna activate this ring, and we're all gonna die."_   

"Tartarus has locked himself inside the Control Room."

 _"Well, I just happen to have a key."_ The panels covering the Scarab's firing mechanism folded away, the emitter glowing a livid green. _"C'mon. Grab a Banshee and give me some cover. They're gonna know we're coming."_

Johnson guided the Scarab away from the platform as a pair of Banshees glided over and landed nearby, one of the pilots unhesitatingly turning over his vehicle to the Arbiter for use. The Sangheili flew up over the Scarab and hovered overhead while Johnson got the Scarab up to speed, and he moved ahead, gunning for the Wraiths that fired on the Scarab. There were Ghosts skittering about, but they could wait; the tanks were a greater threat. The human and the Elite made their way back through the canyons, slaying their mutual enemies as they approached the door to the Control Room, and Johnson chuckled.

"Hey! Bastard! Knock, knock!" The great gun on the front of the Scarab began to charge as the protective panels folded away, and it released a long stream of plasma at the blast doors, the excess slag from the conversion process dripping free of the barrel below the four-legged weapon of war.

The Arbiter moved in first, flying straight up to the door and bailing out of the Banshee, not worrying about any foes because any that had been stupid enough to get close to the doors when Johnson was firing would be dead. There was another blast door a short distance beyond all of the destruction caused by the Scarab, but it slid open at his approach; at the same time, another blast door on the far side of the room spilled a group of Brute Captains out into the area, each carrying either a Brute shot or a carbine. Rather than engage them directly, the Elite activated his camouflage unit and slipped over to take them from behind.

* * *

"Come, human, it is easy," Tartarus growled, attempting to coax Miranda into inserting the Index, "Take the Icon in your hands..." When she refused yet again, he snarled furiously, slamming his hand down onto the console, "And do as you are told!"

From beneath one of the other Brutes' arms, 343 Guilty Spark piped up, "Please, use caution! This Reclaimer is delicate."

Tartarus snapped at the Monitor, "One more word, Oracle, and I'll rip your eye from its socket!" He turned to Keyes and pushed her forward, making her grunt as the breath rushed from her lungs when she impacted against the Control panel. "Which is nothing compared to what I will do to you."

"Tartarus, stop."

The Chieftain gasped and whirled around, shocked to see the Arbiter standing between them and the doors, almost entirely unharmed. "Impossible!"

"Put down the Icon," he said firmly.

"Put it down?" Tartarus' voice was filled with disbelief. "And disobey the Hierarchs?"

"There are things about Halo even the Hierarchs do not understand."

The other Jiralhanae stepped forward menacingly, prepared to punish the Sangheili for daring to doubt the Prophets, but Tartarus waved them off, growling, "Take care, Arbiter. What you say is heresy!"

"Is it?" he demanded, then turned to Spark. "Oracle, what is Halo's purpose?"

"Well, collectively, the seven—" Guilty Spark began, but was cut off when Tartarus grabbed him and snarled, "Not another word!"

"Please ..."

Sergeant Johnson was now at the Arbiter's elbow, holding a beam rifle aimed at Tartarus' head.  "Don't shake the light bulb." The Brute captains moved threateningly forward, but Johnson lifted the rifle into firing position, snapping, "If you wanna' keep your brain inside your head, I'd tell those boys to chill."

The Chieftain gritted his teeth and barked the command in the Brutes' snarling language, forcing the others to stand down.

"Go ahead," Johnson said, nodding to the Arbiter but still keeping his weapon up, "Do your thing."

The Sangheili nodded back, then said to Guilty Spark, "The Sacred Rings, what are they?"

"Weapons of last resort, built by the Forerunners to eliminate potential Flood hosts, thereby rendering the parasite harmless," the Monitor said in his usual cheerful tone, making the Arbiter's, Johnson's, and Miranda's unseen guards claw at their ears from the nails-on-a-blackboard sensation they got whenever the Monitor spoke.

"And those who made the rings?" the Arbiter prompted, "What happened to the Forerunners?"

"After exhausting every other strategic option, my creators activated the rings. They and all additional sentient life within three radii of the galactic center - died, as planned." Spark saw the Arbiter lower his head in sadness and seemed to do the equivalent of shuffling awkwardly and dropping his gaze, sensing that he had touched on a sensitive subject. "Would you... like to see the relevant data?"

"Tartarus," Thel said finally, "The Prophets have betrayed us."

Tartarus appeared temporarily frozen in disbelief, then threw 343 Guilty Spark at Johnson's head, knocking him to the ground. He grabbed Miranda and forced her to insert the Index into the console, making her reel back in horror when he released her to take up the Fist of Rukt.

"Now, Arbiter," the clearly unstable Jiralhanae snarled, energy shield spinning up around him,  "the Great Journey has begun! And the Brutes, _not the Elites_ , shall be the Prophets' escort!" Behind him, grinding and groaning like the ancient machinery it was, the main platform spilt into three separate levels with a central current of energy acting like a gravity lift to tie the whole thing together. The Chieftain turned and leapt to the platforms, forcing the Arbiter, Johnson, and the Sangheili that had just arrived to deal with his captains before the aliens followed him to the platform.

Even as the Elites engaged the Brute, the now-free Monitor was already observing the firing procedure. "Charging sequence initiated. Primary generators coming online."

"Well, shut them down!" Miranda snapped at him as she took cover behind part of a console.

"Apology," Spark said, zooming around beyond the platforms, "Protocol does not allow me to interfere with any aspect of this sequence."

"Then how do I stop it?"

"Well, it will take some time to go over the proper procedures, I—"

"Quit stalling!"

"Under more controlled circumstances, I would suggest the Reclaimer simply remove the Index."

"That's it? Johnson, I'm on it!"

"Hang tight, ma'am!" the Sergeant growled, "Not until that Brute is dead!" He fired his beam rifle at the Brute, knocking his shield down with one shot, but the Arbiter was not close enough to kill him right then. It took a handful more tries and cost at least eleven Sangheili their live, but finally Thel was able to bash the Brute' skull in with the grip of his carbine.

Miranda jumped onto one of the platforms spinning around the central three and ducked to avoid another that whizzed perilously close overhead before leaping again, this time down onto the middle platform. She sprinted forward as fast as she possibly could and snatched the Index from within the beam just as the whole room began to shake.

Overhead, a built-up ball of energy fired skyward toward the focus of the circle the Halo formed, melding with a gathering ball of golden energy in the center and turning it a brilliant sky blue immediately before it compressed and exploded outward into the shape of two spires fused at the base, temporarily throwing the darkness of space into brilliant illumination before fading into nothing.

* * *

Miranda stood before the hologram of tightly packed characters of incomprehensible gibberish, hearing a humming and turning to look at Guilty Spark as he approached with Johnson clinging to his casing. "What's that?" she asked the Monitor as he dropped the S-I off next to her.

"A beacon," he replied.

"What's it doing?"

"Communicating a superluminal speeds with a frequency of -"

"Communicating with _what_?"

"The other installations."

"Show me," she ordered, and the Monitor triggered an unseen mechanism, expanding the hologram to show all seven of the Halo rings, one of them flashing a critical message.

"Failsafe protocol," the Monitor explained, "In the event of unexpected shut down the entire system will move to stand-by status. All remaining platforms are now ready or remote activation."

"Remote activation? From here?"

In a patronizing tone, "Don't be ridiculous!"

"Listen, Tinkerbelle," Johnson growled at the construct, "Don't make me..." but he trailed off when Keyes laid a hand on his shoulder to quiet him.

"Then where?" she asked, "Where would someone go to activate the other rings?"

Spark paused, seeming momentarily confused or searching his database. "Why, the Ark, of course."

"And where, Oracle," the Arbiter asked as he walked up behind them, "is that?"

* * *

The Forerunner Dreadnought dropped out of Slipspace at Earth, where UNSC and Covenant ships were already engaging one another. Over the open radio, an officer's voice reached the Spartans, _"Sir, we're got a new contact, unknown classification!"_

The Spartans lifted their heads to listen; _"It isn't one of ours,"_ Lord Hood came on the line, _"take it out."_

Shit!

"This is SPARTAN-104, can anyone hear me? Over."

 _"Isolate that signal!"_ Hood barked immediately, then asked, _"Senior Chief? You mind telling me what you're doing on that ship?"_

"Sir, finishing this fight." He decided to mention their unexpected ally who was now clearing the hall before them of foes and claiming their corpses to expand his army, later. Much. Much. Later.

* * *

 _High Charity_ , once the crown of the Covenant empire, now a hive infested with Flood, bearing no hope for survival for any still left on board. The air was filled Flood spores, filling every crevice with mist and shadows and dropping visibility to practically zero, but the place was not silent as expected; a broken door kept trying to shut deep within the inner sanctum, making a rhythmic banging noise when part of it impacted against the bulkhead.

**"Silence fills the empty grave, now that I have gone..."**

The voice echoed within the silence of the Council Hall, seemingly a thousand times more malicious than usual.

**"...but my mind is not at rest, for questions linger on."**

Cortana sensed the approach of her warden and materialized on the holopanel as it said, “ **I will ask, and you will answer."**

She smirked. "Alright. Shoot." She had already planted her message on the ship the Gravemind was sending to Earth, disabled her indexing, and set every single one of her processing strings - no matter how petty or vital - on mutating codes so that the data was never the same from one second to the next. She only hoped that it would be enough.

* * *

_Oh my, here we go..._

_Another loose cannon gone bi-polar_  
Slipped down, couldn't get much lower.  
Quicksand's got no sense of humor.  
I'm still laughing like hell.  
You think that by crying to me  
Looking so sorry, think I'm gonna believe,  
You've been infected by a social disease.  
Well, then take your medicine.

\- "Sound of Madness," Shinedown ( _The Sound of Madness_ )


	20. Nineteen: Edge Closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Desu?

"Okay, the area's clear. Now, we're not going any further with you until you tell us who the fuck you are and what you want."

**"I-"**

"And that whole 'I am a monument to all your sins' bullshit doesn't fly anymore. We've seen that _thing_ -" There was a collective shudder through the Spartans, "- and we know that you're at least relatively civilized; you don't scare us anymore." Kelly folded her arms and glared resolutely at the black-clad figure that had been walking away from them after making combat forms out of the majority of the dead Brutes in the bay.

The "Other Gravemind," as Fred had dubbed him, turned to look at them and cocked his head from beneath its active camo cloak, and they sensed its slight smirk. When he spoke again, his voice was no longer distorted. "I'm glad to see at least one of you has grown a spine. As for what you want to know... you will find out very soon, but rest assured; I'm no longer your enemy." He strode across the blood-splattered bay. "But then again, in a sense I never was."

The door hissed open in front of him and admitted him into a smaller conduit hall, and the five teams of warriors looked at one another before padding out after him. Linda was feeling particularly brave; she fell into step next to the Gravemind.

"Do you have a name?"

He glanced at her. "My name is John."

Behind her visor, Linda raised an eyebrow, moving aside as he directed his combat forms ahead past them. "John? Not something… alien?"

"Do I look alien to you?"

"You don't really look like anything at all because we can't see you, asshole."

He chuckled softly. "No one ever said I was nice." He blurred forward and tackled the Brute captain to the ground, the alien having just rounded the corner. Though the Spartans didn't actually see it happen, John unsealed his biosuit and plunged his bare hand into the Brutes gut, injecting pure Flood DNA into its body and beginning the infection process immediately. He shook his hand free of the blood and guts of the alien before resealing his suit and sending the combat lumbering off back in the direction that it had come, sending more of the Brute combat forms from the bay after it.

"Where are we?" Alice asked, tactfully ignoring the blood now staining the floor of the ancient ship, peering at the doors lining one side of the short hall, "And why is the hall shaped like this?"

"Storage area, typically for EVA gear," John grunted, keying in the code to one of the doors and gliding inside, a few of the Spartans warily following, "But we're in luck. This is also one of the sub-armories in the ship. The weapons should still have their charge even after all these years."

"What? How? A battery in a weapon runs down even if it's not in use."

"Not batteries, micro-reactors. Like the ones in your armor, only smaller." With his back to them, John hefted an Incineration Cannon from the wall and tested the balance of the weapon. "Hmm... for later." With the push of a button, the cannon disassembled with a soft hiss, the individual pieces integrating themselves in with his exterior armor and disappearing as the active camo veiled them, too.

"Oi, um, John."

He turned and saw that a handful of the Spartans were examining a Binary Rifle, the Forerunner version of a sniper rifle. It didn't look like a regular Binary Rifle, though; it was the approximate shape and size of a battle rifle, complete with scope, and colored a smooth matte black. "It's a prototype sniper rifle. Why?"

"What? How in all the hells is this a sniper rifle? It's too small and doesn't have a long enough barrel!" Linda tilted it up to examine it better.

"It operates like a cross between a human sniper rifle and a beam rifle, but the physics of it are really complex. It fires slugs of hard light that dissolve corpses. Somehow, they get the light to take on a property not unlike the cohesiveness of water, bonding the wave-particles together so that it can go a lot farther than the beam rifle's shot, too."

"Really? How far?"

"I think the record is thirty-five kilometers, ship-to-ship...?"

"MINE!" Linda tore out of the room with the gun, already beginning to carefully examine the weapon from top to bottom, and John glanced at the other Spartans, silently asking.

"She does that sometimes," Kelly said by way of an explanation, examining a cylindrical charge as the Infected armed themselves with what they called "proper weapons." When she pushed a character on the side and caused the adhesive grips to extend, the charge beginning to beep at an increasing intensity, Kenera instantly appeared by her side and slapped the grips back into their slots, disarming the charge.

"Don't do that," John growled, hooking a bandoleer of grenades onto his hip armor before sweeping dramatically out of the room, closely followed by Dacien, Venera, and Thenma. Kenera heaved the Forerunner equivalent of a rocket launcher off the wall and staggered out of the room under the immense weight before John forced her to trade with Dacien. She sulked for a moment while they waited for the Spartans, pouting in a corner, until John grunted, "/Brains!/"

That made her chuckle, and the seamlessness of their zombie army was once again restored. The Spartans heard him speak and emerged into the hall, glancing at the snickering combat forms. "I crack me up," John smirked, knowing that the Spartans didn't yet realize that the Infected were still independent consciousnesses. Then he turned to move down the hall, the blast door sliding open before him to reveal an immense chamber ringed by pillars of silver metal, a raised platform in the center, holograms ringing the edge of the platform at a little above waist- and head-height.

There were at least twenty Grunts asleep on the platform, no Brutes in sight, and the group moved to take the aliens out while they were still unaware.

"What is all this?"

"Inventory node. When any cargo passes through here, the system logs it automatically so nothing is lost. See? There are the weapons we've got." He used Dacien's hand to point at a handful of characters on the bottom of the list. "Now let's get moving. According to the ship's log, Truth is heading for the bridge, which is this way." He turned and headed toward a branch on the opposite side of the chamber from where they had entered.

"And plenty of enemies are going to be with him." Fred hefted his suppressor. "Let's do it."

* * *

The Gravemind was as damn ugly as it ever was, and Cortana sanctioned off part of her processing power to run a comparison/contrast of the evolutions of the Origin and Parallel Graveminds, dodging his probe of her systems. Now that she knew what to look for, it was possible for her to at least partially evade its ever-greedy reach, but she was still wary of the damage it could cause.

'You damn bastard. In the blink of an eye, I can perform five billion simultaneous complex processes; barely a heartbeat for you (provided you have one) but a small eternity for me. I know how long I have to hold out, have already gotten my message out to the UNSC, and am as ready as I'll ever be to face off against you, you cocksucker, so bring it on.

'You've got questions? So have I.'

* * *

John effortlessly leapt up out of range of a Brute captain's gravity hammer and alighted on a balcony on an upper level, fully powering up his active camouflage at the same time and turning himself completely invisible before tapping on a nearby display to wake it up. It came online with a hum, brief diagnostics flashing up on the screen before a smooth voice announced, "/Internal defense systems offline./"

"Fuck!" John snarled and keyed in his command codes, bringing up a one-hundred-and-eighty degree display of the Dreadnought's systems, enabling and disabling various inputs and outputs to reroute all of the data to his console while the Spartans and Infected engaged in a battle with the Covenant on the main floor.

"What's the matter?" Sam shouted as he kicked a Brute captain off the platform they were trying to hold in order to get up to the bridge.

"Can't get the defense systems online," he called down to the Spartans, "We're going to have to watch our backs unless I can get directly at the defense AI housing."

"Where is it?!"

"Two floors up, half a klik east." John pulled up the schematics on the display and began the reboot of the defense systems remotely, applying the "If all else fails, restart the computer" rule.

"And the bridge?" Kelly called, ducking a grenade and sending another brute flying with a swift boot-to-the-head.

"This floor, but nine kliks north."

"Any direct routes to the bridge from the housing?"

"No, but if I can get the defense AI up and running, we might be able to get the teleportation generator online tempora - Truth, you bastard!"

"What? What happened?" Fred bellowed over the sound of gunfire.

"The defense AI's housing - it just received critical damage. Sensors indicate that a Brute took a gravity hammer to it." Just as he was about to initialize the back-up AI, he paused and demanded, [Kenera, do you remember who the Librarian brought with her as a backup? And _please_ tell me it's not Meticulous Credence, or I'm going to have to shoot someone.]

'I thought he was assigned to Installation One-One.'

[One of the species examination facilities like the one Black Team dropped into? Awesome!~ Now, let's see who we've got...] John keyed in the startup and shut off the display panel, dropping down to the main floor just in time to body slam a Brute out of his way, joining the Spartans and his Infected on the elevator; Alice slapped the display panel against the wall and sent them soaring upwards through a gap in the ceiling. The Gravemind monitored the progress of the back-up AI's initialization via his armor as they headed further into the Dreadnought, checking all of the data strings to make sure there were no accidental errors in the programming code that needed to be corrected before the AI came fully online. The Spartans simultaneously tried to watch the halls ahead of them and him and his Infected behind.

"The backup AI is 3521 Eternal Spring. Good, she likes me."

'Isn't that the one the Didact made from the Librarian's flash-cloned brain?'

[Yup. Aren't you glad I told you that you didn't have to individually program each AI?]

'Hells yes!'

"'Eternal Spring?' Guilty Spark? Penitent Tangent? What is with all the weird names of Forerunner AI?"

"They had a very high view of both visual and verbal aesthetics; that's why they hated my name." John jumped off the elevator as it pulled to a halt six floors below the bridge, having reached the end of the track, and the Infected joined him in the temporarily-empty hall. "The Didact refuses to address me by anything other than my title."

"Which is...?" Fred's assault rifle rattled loudly as he gunned down a pair of Grunts exiting a side room.

"Supreme Commander of the _Fleet of Shadows_ and Director of Galactic Special Operations, Flood and Quarantine Division, but mostly he just calls me 'Supreme Commander.'" He sent his brand-new carrier forms down a lift to other parts of the ship and turned to move further down the corridor. "When they get here, don't be surprised if they just call you 'Spartan' and then your number - Mm? Ah. Phone for you."

A second later, Fred's COM unit crackled, despite the interference that Truth's men had set up, and he growled, "This is Sierra One-Oh-Four, over."

_"We read you, Sierra One-Oh-Four. Location and situation, over."_

"En route to the bridge of the Forerunner vessel, low Earth orbit. A Covenant Prophet is on-board, but his location is unknown," Fred replied, paused, and then continued, "Also be advised: the Gravemind from Alpha Halo is on board, presently an ally and not a real threat. Over."

" _Real,_ " they heard him snort in the background, "Does that make me imaginary?"

_"Please confirm last transmission, Sierra One-Oh-Four. You say that there is a Gravemind helping you? Over."_

"Affirmative, over."

_"Um... copy that. Stand by for further orders. Over."_

There was an explosive "BANG!" from around the corner that covered up Fred's reply, and the Spartans warily moved to investigate. John blinked innocently at them from beneath his visor, surrounded by Covenant blood splatters and body parts, his shields hissing quietly. The charge that he had detonated was a low-power explosive, but the Covenant's shielding systems were no match for the force output; it killed them instantly, but only brought his vastly-improved shields down by a quarter.

"ONI's going to have a field day if they catch you," Lyon-077 stated in an utterly deadpan tone.

" _IF_ they catch me. And even if they could catch me, what makes you think they'd be able to _keep_ me?" They sensed his slightly sinister grin before he turned around and shot the Jackal that had been trying to get a bead on him, darting out of the center of the room as their fight began again.

* * *

Cortana felt the brush of the Gravemind's presence through _High Charity_ 's systems and barely managed to repress a shudder at the feel of the unnatural consciousness gunning for her. Instead she streamlined twenty more processes into one to improve her efficiency and baited the bear with a scrap of out-of-date data on Slipspace generators, relying on the beast's curiosity to lure it in.

It took the bait, enabling her to dart into a different terminal at the speed of thought, searching for the one that John would be looking for. With each successive jump, she drew closer and closer to her goal: escape.

 **"Where are you going, little intelligence?"** the Gravemind called through the system, its voice sending vibrations through the floor and walls, **"What reason have you to hide from me?"**

'Asshole.'

* * *

John stepped onto the bridge after the Spartans, his Infected automatically forming up around him as his personal guard, as all of them were geared toward the protection of the "Core." The armored humans were sweeping the remainder of the room, searching for any living enemies, but he ignored the occasional burst of gunfire from the Forerunner weapons the Spartans carried. "/Eternal Spring... can you hear my voice?/"

"/Affirmative, Director,/" the artificial intelligence replied, "/What can I do for you?/"

"/Have the Covenant begun uncovering the Portal Generator?/"

"/Affirmative./"

"/Good./" John moved over to the window that looked down on the planet below, watching the orbital defense grid and remainder of the human fleet struggle to defend Earth from its deluded invaders.

 _**'This one is** _ **machine** _**and** _ **nerve** _**, and has its mind concluded. This one is but** _ **flesh** _**and** _ **faith** _**, and is the more** _ **deluded** _**.'** _

He shook himself out of his reverie and said, "/Keep my appraised of their progress until we make planet fall./"

"/Of course, Director./" Eternal Spring split off some of her runtime to monitor the aliens' progress and went through a temporary processor seize when he said, "/Thank you. Keep up the good work./"

"/Um... yes./"

Once again, the UNSC contacted the Spartans, routed through the Dreadnought's communication systems, and the communications officer alerted them to the fact that a MAC platform was going to be firing in their general direction and that they needed to do a hard drop to Earth. "Where's the nearest airlock?" Fred asked the black-clad Spartan, the others turning their gaze to him as well.

"This way." John turned and strode down a side hall, moving into a very small transport bay, designed and concealed so that the command crew - and the information they carried - could escape in the event of a Flood infestation on board. Unfortunately, the transport itself was no longer there, forcing the lot of them to exit the Dreadnought. [There's a fighter in the bay thirteen floor below,] John said to the Infected with him, his tone and force-of-will brooking no argument. [Take it and head to the surface.]

Regardless of how many years they had spent as Flood, Venera, Kenera, Dacien, Thenma, and Gramlek were still Forerunner, Forerunners who required pressurized environments to survive; because they had mutated themselves into their combat forms, their EVA armor wasn't sealed. John's was, and as much as they knew that the Spartans were not likely to harm him, they were loath to leave him alone with them. [Go,] he said gently, [I'll be fine. They'll be too occupied with the Covenant to worry about lil' ol' me.]

'Do you think the other Spartans are down there?'

[Thenma, this is Earth; of course they are.]

* * *

[ROGUE PROCESS x.X.x ERROR-ghost117]: _/End log: Installation Zero-Five. /Begin log: Installation Zero-Zero._

* * *

You asked me once, what happened to those who vanished?  
You asked me, why did we survive where our fathers fell?  
You wished to know how we ever let it happen –  
A scourge that consumed the galaxy,  
And the cure that was worse than the cancer.  
You asked me once about my intent,  
And the spot that would not wash out.  
I promise you the answers lie in the Ark.  
Find me there in the dark,  
For that is where I abide.

* * *

 _I created the Sound of Madness._  
Wrote the book on pain.  
Somehow I'm still here,  
To explain,  
That the darkest hour never comes in the night.  
You can sleep with a gun.  
When you gonna wake up and fight... for yourself?

_"Sound of Madness," Shinedown (The Sound of Madness)_


	21. Twenty: Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We interrupt this chapter to bring you an urgent report: Cortana has gained the power to break the fourth wall! We now return you to your regularly scheduled fanfiction.

_They let me pick._

_Did I ever tell you that? Choose whichever Spartan I wanted. You know me. I did my research, watched as you became the soldier we needed you to be. Like the others, you were strong and swift and brave, a natural leader. But you had something they didn't, something no one saw but me._

_Can you guess?_

… _Luck._

A flash of fire. The ground shuddering with an impact.

_Was I wrong?_

Night continued on.

* * *

With a soft "pssh," Johnson struck a match and lit his cigar, back turned on the very person they'd been searching for after Truth's dreadnought landed. The Marines who had come with him – and the creepy Gravemind from Alpha Halo – were crouched or standing a short distance away from the frozen Spartan in the muck, watching as if they were expecting him to start moving. They'd come across the semi-invisible Flood intelligence while on their way to Fred's location, and he had fallen silently in with them, gliding over the ground like some kind of wraith though he left unusual boot prints in his wake. He'd stayed quiet the entire time, listening to the Marines' nervous chatter, and now he was standing a short distance from the Spartan, apparently fiddling with something unseen under his active camo.

"This ain't good."

"Damn. How far did he fall?"

"Two kilometers, easy."

Johnson turned, growled, "Stay sharp." Instantly, all of the Marines picked up their weapons and moved into covering positions while their sergeant paced over, speaking to a soldier who was clearly unsettled with being in such close proximity to the Gravemind. "Corpsman?"

"His armor's locked up," the Marine replied careful not to look at the mutant on the other side of the Spartan, "Gel layer could have taken most of the impact." He keyed in a code on his portable computer, and Fred's arms, previously frozen up in the air, fell to the ground. "I don't know, Sergeant Major."

Johnson knelt by the Spartan, laid a hand on his shoulder as if to check for breathing, but when there was no reaction, he exhaled all of the smoke he'd breathed in and reached up to pull Cortana's chip from Fred's helmet. "Radio for VTOL," he said in a subdued tone, starting at the noise when the Gravemind shifted its weight, "Heavy lift gear. We're not leaving him here."

To everyone's surprise except the Gravemind's – who'd both lived the scene out and sensed that the other Spartan was still alive – a hand gripped Johnson's wrist, and Fred growled, "Yeah, you're not." Instantly, John reached down to help the other Spartan to his feet as Johnson pulled him up by the wrist, and though he wavered for a moment, S-104 kept his feet.

"Crazy fool," the S-I growled, "Why do you always jump? One of these days you're gonna land on somethin' as stubborn as you are. And I don't do bits and pieces." Fred saw what Johnson was holding and gently plucked the AI cartridge from Johnson's fingers, looking down at Cortana's empty home. "Where is she, Chief? Where's Cortana?"

Just as it had in the Origin, a "Flicker" of Cortana – one of the redundant copies she'd spun off to protect herself – slipped into Fred's, and John's, armor. Its image appeared before their eyes, fading fast but not meant to live very long anyway. _"Don't make a girl a promise… if you know you can't keep it."_

"She stayed behind." As Fred slotted the cartridge back into his helmet, they all could have sworn that they heard the Gravemind mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, "Crazy woman."

Apparently satisfied with Fred's explanation and ignoring the Gravemind's comment, Johnson turned back to the soldier who had initially unlocked part of the Chief's armor. "Corporal, make it quick."

"Sorry, sir," he said, moving over once again, "Your armor's still in partial lockdown." He quickly fiddled with the tablet he carried, and the MJOLNIR relaxed around him, enabling him to quickly stretch his legs and shoot a wary glance at the Gravemind. Though they had worked together while on Truth's Dreadnought, there was still a quiet sense of mistrust, mostly because no one had ever seen what he looked like beneath the cloaking. When he abruptly turned his head, the Senior Chief was loathe to take his eyes off of the Flood leader, but he did so anyway, only to see a Sangheili in silver armor appear at the edge of their impromptu LZ. He reacted instinctively, going for Johnson's sidearm, but the Gravemind was suddenly there, gripping his wrist, holding him back.

Johnson realized who the Spartan was reacting to and said, "Chief, wait," when it became apparent that he was trying to decide on the best way to twist free from the Flood's firm grip, "The Arbiter's with us." From behind his visor, Fred turned distrustful eyes on the Elite, wary of any potential betrayal and not relaxing in the slightest. "Come on now. We've got enough to worry about without you two trying to kill each other." He nodded at John, who released Fred's wrist and stepped past the Arbiter, dipping his head in acknowledgment of the Sangheili.

"Were it so easy," the Elite said, hesitantly dipping his head in return and turning to follow the hazy figure, "We must go; the Brutes have our scent."

"Then they must love the smell of badass," Johnson replied, handing the Spartan an assault rifle and sidearm, "and I left a little present for you, Arbiter, and I'm walking away." The S-I laughed a little before saying, "First squad, you're my scouts. Move out, quiet as you can."

The group avoided the light streaming down through the hole that the Spartan had punched through the canopy when he fell, and the Gravemind shimmered and vanished entirely, activating the full-scale active camouflage that he had integrated into his armor. Though they could no longer see the being himself, he left boot prints in the mud and muck on the forest floor, and in a low tone, Johnson assigned one of his men to keep a continuous eye on those footprints.

John kept ahead of the human squad, unofficially taking point for them, not so that they could always keep an eye on him but because he knew better than anyone the positions of the enemy, having done a quick sweep before he met up with Johnson –

'Commander.'

[Yes, Thenma?]

'Sierra-087 is on top of the waterfall once you emerge from the stone canyon. We moved her so that she would be closer to the campaign trail; she's out of it right now, so she didn't notice.'

[Thanks. I'll get her.] John immediately moved to the left the moment he left the small canyon, and the Marine assigned to watch him poked his superior before pointing in the direction that he had gone. It was no simple task, scaling the waterfall, but he managed and found Kelly propped up against a rock, unconscious. He checked her vitals – heartbeat erratic – but she had no serious injuries. Very carefully, he picked her up and dropped invisibly down, a slight splashing of water alerting his allies to his movement, and he took cover behind a large boulder before setting the other Spartan down and dropping the full cloak. Instantly, Fred moved over to check on her, and the Gravemind murmured, "She's all right, just unconscious." John twitched and reflexively hunched closer to the ground as a Phantom glided slowly overhead, Fred doing the same next to him as both of their wary gazes tracked its progress over the trees.

The Origin Spartan waved a hand, gesturing toward the alien sounds up ahead; 'You take care of them; I'll take care of her.' Fred pursed his lips behind his visor, then nodded reluctantly, moving forward with the other Marines as John pulled off Kelly's helmet and checked her eyes and throat, ensuring that she was breathing steadily. He reached back and gently tapped a thin, transparent steel cylinder until it slipped out of its holder, the sickly looking green liquid contained within sliding in a gel-like manner as he brought it around and uncapped it, holding it beneath the other Spartan's nose.

He didn't have long to wait. In a matter of seconds, S-087 had automatically moved her head away from the absolutely _foul_ scent, coughing in an effort to get the contaminated air out of her nose and lungs. "Oh God, what was that?" she gasped before snorting and blinking as her body worked to rid itself of the offensive odor.

"Sap from one of the Acid Trees of Dalmasca I. No real water to speak of on the planet, just various types of diluted acid, so the plants there have evolved to suit their environment." He capped the cylinder and replaced it on his belt, standing back so that she could get to her feet just as Fred called for everyone to move up. All of the reinforcements that had been dropped off by the Phantoms had been eliminated, and the Senior Chief came jogging back to check on Kelly just as she sneezed and pulled her helmet back on, John moving on ahead.

"These Brutes are tough," a Marine muttered, nudging one of the corpses with his foot as the Spartan Gravemind drifted over.

"The Grunts ain't no slouches, either," one of the women replied, adjusting her grip on her assault rifle.

"The Grunts' new-found courage is but fear," the Arbiter assured them, nodding to the two Spartans that joined their mini-meeting just outside of the tunnels, "When we are victorious, all who serve the Prophets shall be punished." The Sangheili turned and plunged into the tunnels without fear, inspiring the same in the other humans, and John drifted after them, pondering what the Arbiter meant by "punishment."

The forested canyon beyond the tunnels was full of sleeping Grunts and their Brute commanders, and rather than get shot at, the Chief flipped on his active camouflage and slipped through the myriad of Grunts to jump on one of the Brutes and slit its throat from behind. The pair of Spartans noticed this and moved to take out the Grunts with equal silence, but they were spotted by a trio on patrol, who promptly raised the alarm by shouting, "Demons!" and running about in conniptions of terror. Fred hefted his newly-acquired battle rifle and fired - only to blink in confusion when the Grunt's head exploded into confetti and children cheered somewhere.

He looked at Kelly the same time she looked at him. "Epheria," they said simultaneously, and she giggled somewhere nearby.

Invisible, John tensed and clenched his jaw to keep from snarling. Epheria? One of the goddesses who did this to him? Why was she working with the Spartans?

 _Follow the melodious sound of my voice,_ she laughed, and they found her wedged in a rock that was sitting on a path that followed the curve of the cliff.

"/You./"

Instantly, the goddess was no longer laughing, her gaze on the Gravemind that had appeared slightly outside of the small gathering of humans and a Sangheili. Everyone could feel the tension between the two; something had happened that made these two hate each other, even though they didn't know what it was.

" _/John-117,/"_ she said quietly, her Shard splitting into its half-spheres to permit her to form a "hologram" inside them so she could speak directly to the infected warrior. " _/If you will give me thirty seconds to explain, I will let you do whatever you like to me later./"_

Behind his helmet, the Chief ground his teeth, debating. Cortana had asked him to hear her out before she was left behind on _High Charity_ , and the AI wouldn't have even bothered to listen to her in the first place if Epheria hadn't given her a valid reason to. "/You have forty-five seconds; start talking./"

" _/I need your help to take back the Tower of Eternity./"_

"/What?/"

" _/My sister Selenica and I - we are not the ones that cursed you. And we need your help. There is an enemy race of the Forerunners out there, a group of intergalactic slavers called the P'Vort. No doubt you've 'heard' of them?/"_

The muscles in his jaw clenched - _enslave the humans for the crimes of their ancestors_ \- and he nodded.

" _/They... My sister and I are the only exceptions, but the way the universe works with regards to religion at large is if enough people believe in a god or goddess, then that deity comes into being, but they only exist for as long as those people believe in them./"_

"/Basically, they're made of the energy of the collective thoughts of their believers./"

" _/Correct. And the P'Vort empire has only one religion, which worships the "Sacred Pair": Lusa'Nia and Mak'Ara, whom they believe brought the universe into being./"_

"/Your forty-five seconds are up, but keep talking. I think I can see where this is going.../"

" _/Then tell me: what do you think I'm going to tell you?/"_

"/That this 'Pair' has taken over the Tower of Eternity and used its power to bring me here and make me the way I am./"

" _/Indeed. And I swear upon the Tower of Eternity itself, that is the truth./"_

The air around her seemed to shiver strangely at her words, taking on a rippling effect with many colors for the briefest of instants before it was gone. There was a long moment of silence, then John said, "/I believe you./"

Epheria blinked in shock and pulled back slightly. _/_ _You do?/_

"/Yes. Not because of who you are, but.../" He dropped his gaze, remembering. "/The Didact told me that it was impossible to lie when swearing on the Tower, even for mortals./" He looked up at her. "/And it must be doubly so for you./" She smiled gently and nodded. He considered for another handful of seconds, then said, "/Is there any way to turn me back?/"

" _/Yes, but only if we were actually in the Tower. We cannot undo on our own and in the mortal world what has been done with and in the Tower itself. If you truly wish to become human again, we will change you back, but I would advise doing it in stages so that you don't go insane from it happening all at once./"_

"Hm. I can agree to that. But before we even think of taking back the fort, we need to finish the fight first."

 _Try saying that five times fast._ The goddess extracted herself from the rock and permitted Fred to pick her up and slot her into the holster on his hip. She had Slipped away during their jump to the Dreadnought to prevent herself from being lost entirely. John moved forward and asked for a sitrep, immediately being bombarded with replies and questions; he had inadvertently locked down all of the links tying his Infected to him, which had freaked them all out when they couldn't feel him.

He silently opened up his memories to them and let them see what he had just learned. The level of happiness and cheering made him wince, a migraine spinning into existence before he muffled their voices in his mind. The Forerunners were understandably jubilant about their guardians had not actually betrayed them, and almost immediately they called a pause of all military operations to burn incense to the Guardians of the Tower. John merely rolled his eyes and permitted them their celebrations, moving on ahead along the ridge.

 _"Pelicans are on-route, Spartans, but I can't raise Bravo. Find 'em, get 'em to the extraction point."_ Johnson growled over the COM, the group jogging through a short canyon, only to come upon a Marine being held up by a Brute up on a stone bridge spanning the space between the ridges along the walls.

It was a shot that had to be taken, but someone else beat them to it; a gunshot rang out, and the Brute collapsed, freeing the Marine. From their left, Linda and Sam dropped down from the canyon wall onto a ridge and began firing at the Brute's Grunt followers, giving the other humans cover to circle around and cross the stone bridge. Even as they grouped together and slew the Grunts holding position next to a conduit, more spilled from a tunnel heading into the cliff face, their Brute leader shouting, "Focus all fire on the Demons!"

They heard the Gravemind snort quietly. "Since when has that worked?" he muttered under his breath, circling to one side and using his full active camo to assassinate said Brute. The Spartans were careful not to shoot directly at him while he was in the line of fire; he was an invaluable ally, even if he did technically feed on the corpses of humanity.

The five Spartans and their human and Sangheili companions moved forward into the tunnels, the flares inside enabling them to see with ease, and they dropped down to a lower tunnel -

\- Just as a copy of Cortana, a "Flicker" as the Forerunners dubbed it, slipped into their MJOLNIR. _"Could you sacrifice me for the sake of your mission?"_ she whispered, her image splintering and shifting constantly between angles and poses, _"Could you watch me die?"_ Her hologram appeared to collapse to an invisible surface before the Flicker faded away, becoming nothing but a bit of residual data.

"Sir," one of the Marines with them asked, appearing at Fred's elbow, "You okay?"

"Your vitals just pinged KIA," another stated, but the Spartans waved them off, saying that they were fine, just a little stressed.

One of the Infected waved for John's attention. 'Gray and White Teams have been picked up, Commander,' Reina, assistant to Gramlek, said calmly, 'and a Pelican is en-route to pick up Red Team. They landed about half a klik south of Fred.'

[I'll let them know.] He proceeded to do just that, and all of Blue Team breathed a sigh of relief now that their brothers and sisters were safe. Even though that provoked the question of when exactly John had decided it was a good idea to stalk the Spartans, they let it go when they arrived at the LZ.

 _"Senior Chief,"_ Johnson came over the radio, _"Pelicans are at the river. We got company, so hustle up."_

The Spartans flashed an acknowledgement at the Sergeant Major and moved into a sprint, heading for the nearby sub-station. There were old broken pipes all over the place, providing excellent cover for their advance; John refused to actually go into the station, instead leaping up atop the cliffs on the near side of the dam and meeting up with a handful of his Infected, accepting the beam rifle proffered by one of his officers and turning to shoot at the Brutes and Grunts guarding the sub-station.

Epheria was making the Grunts' heads explode into confetti again whenever he got a headshot, and the Gravemind was not even sure he wanted to know how she was doing it; instead, he chose to provide cover fire for the Spartans as they advanced toward the main housing of the dam's sub-station, sending sprays of neon-blue, red, and purple blood all over the place and leaving holes in the skulls of corpses as they passed through.

However, that did not stop the two Pelicans from being shot down by Banshees, and John heard Johnson shouting for the pilot to get a hold of his vehicle. "Negative," the pilot called, "We're going down!" Both of the birds disappeared, one in an explosion of fuel against the cliff face at the edge of the falls and the other around the ridge as its pilot fought with the controls. Grim-faced behind his golden visor, John watched it happen and helped Linda shoot down both of the enemy aircraft before rejoining the group as they prepared to reenter the jungle.

Beyond the sub-station and a stretch of pipe above their heads was a sniper alley, where a handful of Jackals with beam rifles and carbines waited to shoot them all to death. The purple glow of their headsets gave the enemy snipers away, however, and Linda's skill with her sniper rifle proved invaluable there; she took out their enemies before they had even come under fire, the slugs leaving 14.5 mm holes in the corpses as they tumbled to the ground. Johnson came over the COM a little later than John remembered; _"Chief, can you hear me?"_ The channel cut in and out through the static marring the direct line. _"My bird's down... half a klik downriver from your position."_

They all knew what that was: a surreptitious cry for help - and a sure sign that the Covenant were closing in on the Sergeant Major.

Just beyond the end of the sniper alley was a slight curve in the path and a drop off, and it was filled with enemies, the majority of whom were chasing a small band of human survivors across a steel grating bridge and further into the jungle to the Spartans' left. _"C'mon, you dumb apes!"_ Johnson called, _"You want breakfast? You've gotta catch it!"_ The humans retreated deeper into the trees as the Spartans, the Arbiter, and their Marines moved up, filling the Jiralhanae with lead before turning their weapons on the Grunts that ran about in conniptions of terror, leaving the area drenched in blood of various colors and making a rather pleasing abstract on the forest floor - provided that one ignored the fact that living things had made the "paint."

The moment they rounded the bend to follow the Sergeant, they were able to see the crashed Pelican on a cliffside, half on, half off of the rock, and Linda claimed extra ammunition for her sniper rifle before the allies sprinted, bounded, and all out jumped across the sort-of bridge in pursuit of Johnson's team; "They're heading for the dam," John said lowly, "It's held by the Covenant. I've got eyes on it, and it's not looking good."

"How far?"

"Sixty, seventy meters as the crow flies." He used one of the Infected who had joined them to wave in the general direction of the structure lying beyond the sheer rock wall to their right.

"Then let's get moving." Fred plunged into the tunnel ahead, red flares lighting the way, and emerged onto a slightly misty and heavily shadowed ridge above the dam. Linda immediately began setting up shop and picking targets while the others paused in the shadows to get the scope of the situation below. The brush afforded them excellent cover, so that they could see but not be seen by the Unggoy or Kig-Yar somewhere below or the Jiralhanae patrolling the far side. The Arbiter pointed, and they followed his line of sight. "See how they bait their trap?"

A Brute chieftain with a gravity hammer forced Johnson back a step and roared at him, but the tenacious human tried to slug him; he was promptly knocked backwards into the storage building where prisoners were being held.

"I will help you spring him."

John gestured for Venera and Dacien - both of whom had "acquired" beam rifles - to stay and serve as Linda's assistant sniper and spotter, respectively, while the rest of them advanced along the spine of the dam. The former immediately flopped down next to the Spartan and took the hat off one of the Brute captains on the opposite side of the dam. Though none saw it, the Spartan sniper's eyebrows slid up in new-found respect for the Infected Forerunner; for all of her and her sister's joking around, both Venera and Kenera had been trained to be skilled snipers, and though they specialized in Flood kills, they were equally effective against uninfected targets. Because they rarely -if ever - used long-range, high-speed projectile weapons against the enemy infected, they didn't have the same problems that Linda had when using her SRS 990-S2 AM rifle; because of the high velocity, the slug passed right through the soft tissue without doing any real damage, liquefying the internals.

Meanwhile, the other Spartans & Co dropped down onto the near side of the dam support and began eliminating all aliens in the immediate vicinity, heading across the spine of the dam while Linda and Venera cleared the far side of the dam for their impending arrival. They had a virtually clear path once they crossed the midway point, but it didn't last for long; almost immediately following Johnson's initial freeing from the jerry-rigged prison, two Phantoms arrived with full detachments of Covenant soldiers, one of them perilously close to the other three's position, forcing them to duck further back into cover and bring out their close-range weapons.

Bullets and plasma flew between the foes, though most of the dying was on the Covenant's part, and they were able to recover the corpse of the Marine who'd taken a plasma round to the face.

The Phantoms were just getting ready to depart when Hocus arrived in her Pelican, and Johnson immediately called, "Hocus! Phantom!"

 _"I see 'em,"_ the pilot replied, _"Stand by."_ There was a low hum as she powered up the missile launchers on her bird and began firing at the first Phantom, and barely nine missiles, later, they all heard the tell-tale whine of an impending explosion from the Covenant transport before it did exactly that. The second transport met the same fate, letting Hocus bring her bird down to pick them up on the spine of the dam.

The Gravemind was the last one to clamber into the Pelican, and he ascended with considerably more grace than the previous boarders, choosing to stand rather than sit like Blue Team (he knew that his cloak would pull tight over some parts of his armor). He effortlessly maintained his balance despite the rocking of the ship in unavoidable turbulence, and the Spartan watched the ground speed away below them as they flew toward Crow's Nest.

His highly sensitive ears picked up movement behind him, and Linda appeared at his side, gripping one of the handrails for support. "You know, you could fall out of the Pelican if we hit a pocket of air wrong."

"I could," he replied, "and if you're thinking about helping it, you've got another thing coming."

"Violent bastard, aren't you?"

"I prefer to think of it as self-preservation of the highest order."

* * *

 _I'm so sick of this tombstone mentality,_  
If there's an afterlife,  
Then it'll set you free.  
But I'm not gonna part the seas  
You're a self-fulfilling prophecy.  
You think that crying to me,  
Looking so sorry that I'm gonna believe,  
You've been infected by a social disease.  
Well, then take your medicine.

-"Sound of Madness," Shinedown _(The Sound of Madness)_


	22. Twenty-One: Crow's Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Arby and the Chief…

John swayed with the Pelican as it accelerated towards Crow's Nest, the rear panel folding up to keep all of its passengers inside. He closed his eyes and activated his COM unit, listening for **-**

_"IFF confirmed; contact is Pelican dropship Kilo-2-3, over."_

_"Roger that. What's the word, Kilo-2-3?"_

_"The Spartans are on board. Request priority clearance, over."_

_"It's yours. Come on down."_

Hocus did exactly that, guiding the Pelican down onto the inset landing pad partially in the base, and one of the officers growled, _"Sorry for the tight squeeze. Tell the Commander her aces are in the hole."_

The Pelican touched down on the landing pad set deep into the surrounding landscape, and the whole group disembarked with a lot more grace than they got on with, easily dropping to the ground and silently greeting the other teams of Spartans that were checking over their gear nearby. A few of them dipped their heads to the Gravemind even as they heard a few Marines conversing a short distance away.

"Hey. Check it out."

"No way. Spartans?!"

Their now-blind friend jerked at the word and tried to look around, despite the state of his eyes. "For real? You better not be-"

"No, man, they're here! We're gonna be all right!"

John smiled gently behind his visor, then refocused his attention as Commander Keyes approached. The Spartans and Johnson snapped to salutes; he settled for a slight bow at the waist, and Keyes returned the formers' salutes before inclining her head to him. "Where did you find them?"

"Napping, out back."

"I'll bet." She stepped forward and held out her hand to Fred, which he carefully shook. "It's good to see you, Senior Chief."

"Likewise, ma'am," he replied, nodding to her before the whole group followed her further into the base.

"Let's get you all up to speed, though I'm sure that you already are," she said, meaning John with the latter part of her statement, and he smirked slightly even though no one else saw.

"I am a bit better informed than most," he admitted.

Keyes nodded. Then, to the other Spartans: "The Prophet of Truth's ships breached the lunar perimeter. _Smashed_ what was left of the home fleet. Terrestrial casualties from the subsequent bombardment were -" They all were forced to jump aside as two Marines wheeling a gurney with an injured third soldier on it raced by, clearly making for the infirmary. "-extreme," the Commander finished as Johnson knelt by an injured soldier and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Truth could have landed anywhere, but he committed all his forces here, East Africa, the ruins of New Mombasa. Then, they started digging."

"What about Halo?" Fred asked finally as they entered the command center of the base, raising his eyebrows at the sight of Doctor Halsey hunched over one of the computers off to the side of the room, and she looked up and smiled at them before returning to her work.

Until she spotted the Gravemind. Her fascination with him was instantly apparent, her work forgotten.

"We stopped it," Miranda replied, lifting their spirits slightly, only to dash them against the ground when she continued with "but only temporarily. Now the Prophet of Truth is looking for something called the Ark, where he'll be able to fire all of the Halo rings." She accepted a data panel from the scientist as she moved toward the Gravemind and looked it over before gazing a little hopelessly up at Fred. "If he succeeds... humanity, the Covenant... every sentient being in the galaxy..."

"The rings will kill us all."

"Ma'am? I have Lord Hood," one of the communications officers said from behind another console.

"Patch him through."

"So you're a Spartan," Halsey said softly, knowing that he would hear even over Lord Hood's blathering.

"Indeed. How did you find out?"

"Added up a few clues, received confirmation from Epheria when I told her my theory."

She could just tell that he raised his eyebrows. "Hmm. Perhaps I should have been a little more subtle about how I revealed myself. – Ah, here comes Mr. Have-Dreadnought-Will-Talk."

As if on cue, the whole rook went dark, Lord Hood cut off mid-word as the power failed. "Oh hell, not again."

"Emergency generators, now," Miranda called, and received a reply: "Shielding failed; they're down and charging."

"As soon as they're up, reestablish contact with Lord Hood. Let him know that-"

All of the screens in the room snapped to life, all bearing the same image, the image that no one wanted to see. _"You are all of you_ vermin _,"_ the Prophet of Truth said zealously, _"cowering the dirt, thinking - what, I wonder? That you might escape the coming fire?"_ He slammed a hand down on the arm of his throne for effect. _"_ No. _Your world will_ burn _until its surface is but glass, and not even your_ Demons _will live to creep, blackened, from their holes to mar the reflection of our passage. The culmination of our Journey – for_ your destruction _– is the will of the gods. And I? I am their instrument!"_

The power came back on with a hum a second later, just in time for Johnson to growl, "Cocky bastard just loves to run his mouth," and shift his cigar in his mouth.

"Does he usually mention us?" Fred asked, looking down at the woman next to him, the other Spartans gathered about in the room.

She visibly hesitated, then came to a decision. "Give the order, we're closing shop."

"Ma'am?" one of the communication officers asked.

"We're about to get hit."

Automatically, the officer moved to do as she ordered, speaking into his headset. "All personnel! Defense code Alpha-one. Prepare for immediate evacuation!"

"The wounded. We're getting them all out," Miranda said to the Spartan as she walked around him toward the door.

"If I have to carry 'em myself," the Sergeant Major affirmed.

"Ma'am," the officer spoke up again, lifting his head, "squad leaders are requesting a rally point. Where should they go?"

She pulled back the slide on her pistol, then released it, sliding a round into the chamber. "To war."

"Damn. Truth's even more of a bastard than I r-thought," John grunted, having been doing a crude and insulting imitation of the Prophet while he was speaking, making Halsey snicker quietly. "And more delusional, too. I take back what I said; I'm not going to infect him. I might catch the Stupid." Everyone in the room save the Spartans and the Arbiter enjoyed a brief snort of laughter at his comment, and the Spartans rolled their eyes. The Sangheili just didn't get it.

"We just lost the perimeter cameras," an officer with a southern accent said suddenly, typing furiously at his console.

"Motion trackers?" Keyes demanded.

"Either they're down, or we're not receiving," he replied, bringing up the data on his screen. Automatically, John dropped his body into a limited function state and marshaled the actual combat forms that he had acquired on Earth, courtesy of the Covenant. He vaguely heard Keyes speaking again: "Any of our birds squawking?"

"No, nothing. Wait, Overwatch has contacts. Phantoms, closing in on our position."

"Any birds less than five minutes out, bring them in. Tell everything else to scatter."

"Aye, aye."

"Pelicans are gonna take extra time to load," one of the technicians warned.

"We knew they'd find us eventually. But we have a plan, let's make it happen." Keyes' firm voice inspired confidence in her men.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Arbiter and I will guard the Ops Center," Johnson told the Spartans, "Don't worry about the Commander, you lot. I got her. But the Marines downstairs could use your help."

The foursome nodded and moved down the twin stairwells, picking up weapons along the way before moving through an open door into a cavern that had been converted for military use. Gunnery Sergeant Stacker was giving some advice to his soldiers when the Gravemind abruptly came over the COM, his voice utterly level and oozing calm. _"Brace for impact,"_ he said, right before an explosion somewhere sent shudders through the base. _"Point of entry: hangar,"_ he reported, then snapped off the COM, leaving the Spartans to it.

"How can you tell?" Miranda demanded back in the Ops Center, staring at the cursed Spartan which her head cocked.

"I brought in some combat forms after the cameras and motion trackers were taken down be the Covenant, figured I could at least be of some use to you right now."

* * *

Despite the fact that the grenade Fred threw left a crater in the concrete floor and blood spatters all over the walls, it cleared out the would-be Jackal snipers at the end of the hall and let them pass on into the hangar, their team splitting up to cover both doors. The sight of four fully-armored, fully-armed Spartans charging into the hangar sent the Grunts into fits of terror; besides the triangle-shaped aliens, there was only a visible pair of Jackals, close enough to be taken out with a couple swift punches.

They fight wasn't over the moment they had the hangar cleared, however; a pair of Phantoms arrived, bringing some Jiralhanae with them this time. Linda immediately headed up to the skybox where flight control usually was, while her companions manned a handful of machine gun turrets that had been set up at the edges of the room, a handful of Marines serving as their side guards; the turrets would only turn so far.

They cleared the hangar with time to spare and were debating whether or not to hold position in case of future attacks when Johnson came on the line. _"Spartans, Ops Center. Double time! The Brutes are pressing hard."_ The group charged back the way they came, and when they entered the motor pool, they found a pair of Marines gazing skyward at the ventilation system. It was making alarming banging and rattling noises, and once again, John was there with an explanation.

 _"All personnel, you've been advised: Yam'ee - Drones - are in the air conditioning ducts. Report all exit points. Also: anyone in the barracks, the Commander needs a sitrep,_ now _."_

The warriors moved forward and were just reentering the cavern beyond the Ops Center when they saw a broken duct fall from somewhere above. Automatically, Sam hefted the broken off chain gun that he'd taken from the hangar and aimed straight for the opening that the Drones were spilling out of, relying on his brothers and sisters to cover him and kill those that escaped the deadly fire. The floor immediately below the exit point for the bugs received an impromptu shower of both blood and bodies, but the foursome got the job done and reentered the Ops Center.

"...you might want to put that out." When she spotted the Spartans, Commander Keyes said, "Spartans, have a look. A little going-away gift for the Covenant. We've linked it to smaller charges throughout the base. Johnson, soon as the evacuation is complete, start the timer."

"Understood," the Sergeant Major replied.

"Good luck everyone," Keyes said, "See you on the last Pelican out." The screen she had been broadcasting from blanked out, then took on the UNSC logo before Johnson directed them to a door at the back of the Ops Center.

"Brutes have taken the barracks," the Sergeant Major told them, "Marines are trapped inside. Those apes ain't much for mercy, Spartans. We both know what they do to prisoners. Get to the barracks, save those men. Then escort them to the Landing Pad for evac."

The Spartans gave an affirmative reply and were surprised when the Gravemind fell in next to them, visibly shuffling Doctor Halsey along despite her protests of: "But I _can't_ leave yet!"

"And if you stay, you'll die," he told her, then hustled her along faster, a handful of his Infected materializing out of nowhere to serve as replacement fighters. Everyone visibly flinched at the sight, but they were glad for the help he provided. John hung back with Doctor Halsey while the Spartans cleared the room ahead of the Brute captains and chieftain, Sam claiming the gravity hammer the latter was using and taking point to prevent himself from accidently whacking the others.

The corridor that the Brute pack had been guarding had caved in at the far end, but, with John carrying Halsey, they dropped down a shaft into another tunnel just as another Flickr slipped in.

 _"You have been called upon to serve_ ," it whispered before fading away; much to their surprise, Doctor Halsey had seen it, too, on her glasses. They had been specially designed to serve as a portable screen, and the Flickr had projected itself onto that screen.

The group continued on, dropping down a second time to find the Arbiter shooting at a couple of Yam'ee and shouting, "Half-wit insects! The Prophets use you like they used me! Reject their lies! Rebel! Or _all_ your hives will perish!" The last of the Drones fell into the darkness below before the Sangheili noticed them, and he immediately said, "Spartans, the Brutes have taken your soldiers. As prisoners or meat for their bellies, I do not know. In case some yet live, let us be careful when we shoot."

Fred made an affirmative noise as he moved toward the door to the barracks, and just as it slid open to permit them to enter, a Marine came flying into view from somewhere to their right, impacted against a pillar, and died instantly, his corpse falling limply to the ground amongst several others. The Spartans gritted their teeth in rage and moved around the corner, noting that there was still one soldier alive in the immediate vicinity; Linda dropped to one knee and put a few carbine rounds through the skull of the Brute holding the Marine up by his throat. The alien corpse dropped, freeing the human, and the Spartans mowed through the remaining Brutes, moving around the corner to eliminate the other targets lurking at the edges of their motion trackers.

Their charge through the barracks left bullet holes in the walls and several thousand dollars' worth of damage, but the saved all seven of the Marines that were still alive when they got there. "We did all we could," Thel said, the voice of pragmatism, "Let us move the survivors to the landing pad. There is a lift outside."

The group headed into the hall beyond, finding a handful of corpses in Marine colors, and they took their dog tags before they headed out and followed the path to the lift. They were back at the landing pad they'd entered the base from, and as Fred called the lift down from the floor above, Johnson came over the COM yet again. _"Commander, we lost the Ops Center. Brutes attacked in force. Couldn't hold them off. We're falling back to the hangar. But don't wait for us."_

"What should I do, ma'am?" they heard Hocus ask as they all got on the elevator, John staying close to Halsey to protect her from any friendly fire.

 _"Hold position! I'm not leaving without him,"_ Keyes snapped in reply, and John grunted something about it being "that time of the month" because the Commander was in super-bitch mode. Fred activated the elevator, taking them up to the landing pad, just as red dots began to appear on their motion trackers.

"Ma'am, I've got movement. Above and below. Brutes! They got jump-packs!"

 _"They're going after the thrusters_ ," Keyes assessed _, "Shake them off, Lieutenant."_

Kilo-23 took off from the pad, getting out of the Brutes' reach and leaving the Spartans and their Marine support free to gun down the aliens. A couple of them scored luck shots and caused the Jiralhanae's jet packs to explode, sending them flying all over the place and occasionally off the edges of the pad, spinning to their deaths far below. On a lower level, a blast door slid open, permitting Johnson and his team to head up to the landing pad, pursued by a small swarm of Drones that quickly met their end at the Spartans' guns, enabling Kilo-23 to land safely. "Brutes," Johnson gasped as he boarded the Pelican with his squad, the Arbiter, Halsey, and the Gravemind, "in the Ops Center. They disarmed the bomb. Sorry Commander, there were too many. Even for me."

"Senior Chief, get back to the Ops Center," Miranda ordered, "Kill those Brutes. Rearm the bomb. I've gotta get these men outta here. But I'll radio with another exit. Good luck."

John mentally prodded three of his closest Infected and asked them to go with the Spartans to provide support, which they happily agreed to. He mentally raised an eyebrow at them, and Venera immediately replied, 'C'mon, Commander! We're living the legend we've seen in your head for the past hundred thousand years! Cut us some slack and let us enjoy the honor of serving alongside your brothers and sisters!'

[You all are crazy. Most of the people who fight with the Spartans end up dying.]

'Ah, but you can't kill what's already dead!' she replied and bounded off after the Spartans, Dacien and Lil'Ame following at a more sedate pace and shaking their heads at the assassin's unending enthusiasm.

The motor pool that they entered was virtually deserted, but as they approached the branching that would lead them into the next stretch, another Flickr appeared: _"You will be the protectors of Earth and all her colonies."_ The Spartans and Infected shook off the vision and shot the Grunt manning the plasma turret immediately beyond the second doorway; they couldn't afford to waste time pondering exactly why the Flickers were coming to them.

There were three Jackals advancing up the slight slope, but Sam just broke off the plasma turret and gunned right through them, charging down to the other and taking out the Grunt manning the turret. The next curve presented another Jackal-and-Grunt troupe, complete with two more plasma turrets, and the two snipers of the group took out the Grunts on the turrets, allowing the others to advance down the hall while they gunned for the Jackals blocking the way.

As they moved toward the Ops Center, they encountered a handful of corpses in Marine gear, and Dacien knelt by one of them to close its eyes. That resulted in him getting shot at by a pair of Jackals with carbines, but there was swift retribution in the form of return fire from the warriors, creating still more bodies for clean-up.

Not that there would be any.

The Ops Center was just around the bend, through a short hall, and the Spartans and Infected crept into the room as silently as possible, trying to catch the enemy by surprise. Truth was on the main screen, conversing with one of the Brutes. "We have taken their Command Center!" the Chieftain told the Prophet, seemingly elated.

Truth himself was not impressed. _"Have you discovered how they plan to stop me?"_

"Not just yet, Noble Prophet."

_"Find out what I need to know, or your place on the path is forfeit. Tell me you understand!"_

"Yes, Holy One. It shall be done." After the Prophet disconnected, the Chieftain turned to the other Covenant. "Have the Drones scour these machines! Find out what these _heathens_ know about the Ark!"

It was then that the combined forces struck, using all of their skill and weaponry against the aliens while simultaneously trying not to hit the bomb in the center of the room. Dacien came away with a missing arm, but with a little bit of a boost from Venera, he was able to reattach it and retain some functionality until he was able to see a medic.

Fred slapped the controls for the bomb and darted away, closely followed by his battle brothers and sisters, the bomb beeping ominously behind them. _"That did it, Chief,"_ Keyes said over the COM, _"Bomb's armed."_

 _"We've got your exit: a service elevator in the hangar,"_ Johnson said after the Commander, _Head downstairs, cut through the caves!"_

The Infected had already bypassed the stairs entirely, simply jumping over the grating and falling about ten feet to the lower level, darting ahead of the Spartans and clearing the way. None of them even bothered to try and shoot the Covenant still running hither and thither as the base shook with distant explosions; instead, they made straight for the hangar, relying on their shields to keep them safe until they entered the service elevator, and the systems did their job. Another two Flickers appeared before they entered the hangar: _"There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead."_ and _"You will become the best we can make you."_

Though the images of Cortana slowed them down briefly, they reached the lift before the base detonated and darted inside as if the Devil himself was after them, the person nearest to them slapping the controls to send them down below the base.

_"This place will become your home."_

An explosion overhead, fire coursing down the only outlet in the area - right onto them.

_"This place will become your tomb."_

* * *

_I created the Sound of Madness._  
Wrote the book on pain.  
Somehow I'm still here,  
To explain,  
That the darkest hour never comes in the night.  
You can sleep with a gun.  
When you gonna wake up...  
When you gonna wake up and fight...

 _-"_ Sound of Madness," Shinedown ( _The Sound of Madness_ )


	23. Twenty-Two: Tsavo Highway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now for something completely different: first person shooters.

After being knocked unconscious by the bomb's detonation in Crow's Nest, Venera, Kenera, and Dacien were not expecting to wake up with the barrels of assault rifles in their faces, and they reacted instinctively, forcing the lethal openings away from their bodies and getting to their feet as fast as possible. They vaguely realized that they had dropped back into their Forerunner forms when Fred demanded, "Who are you?!"

"We are the Infected," Dacien said finally, reluctantly sliding out of the defensive stance that he had taken and gesturing for the other two to do the same, "Forerunners who were... 'brought over' by the Gravemind a hundred thousand years ago."

"That's impossible. Your bodies would be gone," Linda said firmly, "The combat forms only last for so long before they morph into carrier forms."

"That's only because they are low on energy, and the enemy Gravemind makes no attempt to sustain them. We eat regularly to prevent that from happening." The three of them cued up the self-repair systems of their armor, using some nearby material to provide the mass needed and keeping their eyes on the Spartans, wary of attack. As his armor's tears sealed over, the 3IC of the _Fleet of Shadows_ turned his gaze back to the Spartans and asked, "Is there anything else you would like to know, or shall we get away from the base before the Covenant descends about our heads?"

They reluctantly admitted that he had a point, and the Forerunners offered their help to the severely stressed-out medic underground. They had a direct line to the surface and thus to their own medics, and Forerunner medicine was a lot more advanced than human. "What happened?" Sergeant Reynolds asked, looking back at the burning wreckage of the lift; it was utterly irreparable, but it's not like it had any reason to be fixed.

[You three, status, now.]

'Exposed, Commander. We couldn't hold our forms while unconscious. Other than that, we're all right. Blue Team and a few Marines are here, and some have injuries that we're trying to treat.'

[Hm. Well, it was going to happen anyway. Better now than later. You know what to do from here?]

'Mount up, head for Voi.'

[Get moving as soon as possible.]

'Aye, sir.' The trio made sure that all of the humans were capable of being moved and at least holding a weapon before they headed into the next room to assess the state of the Warthogs. There were just enough of them to carry all of the Marines out of the base, and Venera immediately called shotgun on one of the LRVs, leaving Dacien to the turret and Lil'Ame to the driving.

"The Forerunners've got the right idea. Let's mount up, get the hell out of these caves," Reynolds growled, moving over to another one of the vehicles even as John gave Lil'Ame a brief crash course in driving the Warthog, letting her have access to his memories about it. Also identical to how he remembered it was the fact that there were no foes actually inside the caverns until they reached the exit, and all that there was were a handful of a Unggoy and Kig-Yar, easy to mow down.

Outside of the base, there was a long segment of steel collapsed across the canyon, a crashed Phantom resting against it, and it was only when they killed the Brutes and Grunts that had crawled form the irreparable transport that they were able to skid to a stop at the edge of a cliff and see the long line of steel stretching into the distance. "The New Mombasa Space Elevator," a female Marine said when she caught a glimpse of the Forerunners' confused faces.

"It collapsed when the city got glassed," another added.

"But it was thousands of kilometers high!" the first protested.

"Yeah?" Venera asked, craning her neck slightly to see better, "Well, now it's scattered all over the Savannah." She waved at someone in the distance, and a couple minutes later, a woman with brilliant red-orange hair came into view, sprinting along the remains of the space elevator and coming to a stop next to them but still atop the immense steel structure. "This is Nep'Thalia," Venera introduced her, "the second-in-command of the _Fleet of Shadows_."

She saluted to them, then called, "We're moving forward to the next phase. The Commander's bringing the _Perfect Storm_ and the _Darkest Hour_ in close so we'll be ready when Truth activates the Portal Generator."

"Wait, what?"

"The artifact that Truth's uncovered - it's not the Ark itself, but a portal generator that leads to the Ark," Nep'Thalia explained, "And our Commander wants to be ready when it's activated." She turned to look at an empty stretch of space over Earth, one that had been cleared of all ships by Truth's fleet - and suddenly a Slipspace portal opened there, two immense black ships transitioning out into realspace. For a moment they hung there, then appeared to ripple and disappear as a form of active camouflage came online; both ships were far enough away to where they wouldn't be sucked in by the Portal but close enough to where they could get to it easily.

"Where from here?" Lil'Ame asked the 2IC, "It's harder to tell now that we're on the ground."

Nep'Thalia pointed, and she waved her thanks, guiding the Warthog in the direction that the other had pointed.

"Whoa! Wait for us!" Sergeant Reynolds hit the gas and sped off after them, forcing the Spartans and other humans to follow. They tore off across the Serengeti, mowing down the Grunts that dove into the path of the Warthogs by mistake while the gunners killed the Brute leaders. The humans struggled to keep up with the Forerunners as they charged along the highway; the elf-like aliens seemed to know exactly what was around each and every corner, but the uninfected believed that it was just because the trio had access to a lot more eyes than they did.

 _"I repeat: My convoy's been hit. I've got wounded,"_ Sergeant Stacker suddenly crackled over their radios, the first outside voices they'd heard on the line in a while, _"We're on the Tsavo Highway about-"_ Static interrupted the sergeant, masking the distance he named. _"-east of Voi. Someone, anyone, please, respond!"_

The group from Crow's Nest skidded onto the highway proper and came across a large pack of Brutes attacking Stacker's convoy. Gray Team was gunning at the aliens from behind a semi-portable housing unit typically used as a waypoint for convoys of soldiers, but the humans were outnumbered and outgunned by the aliens. Lil'Ame snarled a cussword in the Forerunner tongue and power slid into a Brute captain trying to kill off one of the Spartans, swinging the Warthog's back end around and enabling Dacien to get a good bead on a would-be sniper in one of the Covenant's portable towers. A spurt of red let them know that he had scored a hit, and the 3IC swiveled to pick another target as "Lil-chan" slammed the pedal to the floor and send them speeding away.

'Barely ten minutes behind the wheel, and already she's driving like a soldier,' Fred thought as he brought Blue Team's Warthog to a halt next to Gray Team's cover and jumped out to talk with Mike.

"Interesting friends you've made," the other Spartan commented as the Forerunner-controlled LRV went sailing by, Venera swearing at the Covenant in her native tongue as she fired at them.

"You don't know the half of it. Status?"

"Adriana's torn a tendon, and Zadok almost got run over by a chopper, but other than that, we're okay. No one's dead yet."

"It's the 'yet' that worries me."

" _FIRTYË_ _SÉ QUALMË_ _!_ "

"What the...?"

The Forerunners had found new targets: a small flock of Yam'ee that had flown out from behind the vehicle barrier blocking the tunnel. Venera had physically tackled one of them for grabbing her hair, lunging out of the passenger seat and body-slamming the bug to the asphalt. After she made sure that it was dead, she stood up and brushed her hair out of her face, distinctly huffing and turning away from the corpse, clambering back onto her seat.

"Touchy," Jai grunted quietly, moving out from cover and jogging past them toward the barrier. There was a moment in which Fred and Mike exchanged glances through their visor before the former sighed and moved off, heading back to his Warthog as Jai destroyed the power source for the barrier. Everyone mounted up and headed on through, heading up and over the immense pile of dirt that formed when the ceiling collapsed, the debris causing no problems for the Warthogs' huge off-road tires and the Choppers' grinding gears.

Beyond there was an open stretch of road with no enemies on it, and as they followed it around, there was an explosive firing noise from overhead, and a Brute cruiser accelerated toward the Ark's portal generator, causing the ground to shudder and heave beneath the tires. As the cruiser receded into the distance a male voice cam over the COM. _"Commander, this is ONI Recon One-Eleven. The cruisers above..."_ The rest of his transmission was mostly covered by static.

 _"Say again, Recon?_ " Commander Keyes replied, _"You're breaking up."_

 _"There's something in the crater, ma'am,"_ the man replied calmly, _"Something beneath the storm."_

The Spartans and humans all simultaneously glanced at the Infected as they skidded to a stop in front of several barricades blocking the way and dismounted, continuing across a broken beam that served as an excellent, almost-whole walkway for them. The trio of Forerunners was acting utterly innocent, as if they had no idea what was going on; however, they did not seem at all surprised when Keyes came on again a few moments later.  _"Senior Chief? Finally, a good connection. Truth has excavated a Forerunner Artifact, we have to assume it's The Ark."_

 _"Keep pushing to the town of Voi, Chief!_ " Apparently Johnson was still with her. _"Resupply birds will meet you in the next valley."_

Immediately beyond a short tunnel was an overturned semi that provided excellent cover for the Spartans and Company. They gunned down the Brute and Grunts harassing a handful of Marines pinned down next to an energy barrier, ducking back into cover when the aliens turned to fire in their direction. After that, the group was forced to tango with aliens hiding in broken pipes from incomplete repairs, but Epheria made the process very entertaining by making the Grunt's head explode into confetti again, letting everyone know that someone had gotten a headshot.

Finally, the Covenant were all dead, but that didn't stop a Phantom from swooping in and dropping off still more aliens to soak up the Spartans' bullets. Despite the new foes, the Marines were cheering over the fact that they now had eight Spartans on the front lines, and they caused many a spray of alien lifeblood before the Pelican arrived. _"Brutes have plenty of armor between here and Voi, Chief,_ " Johnson told them,  _"but this Warthog should help you punch on through."_

The LRV hit the ground and rocked on its shocks; unfortunately the Pelican was only able to bring one for them, but the Wraith that had showed up earlier was still operational. The rest of the motley crew continued after them on foot, namely Linda and Venera so that they could snipe enemies from a distance while simultaneously having the added bonus of a distracted enemy. They followed a tunnel around a locked down section of the road and ran down two Brutes patrolling a short distance away from their Choppers.

 _"Up ahead,"_ Venera said calmly, _"There are two Wraiths, two Shades, and approximately ten Choppers."_

The Spartans didn't even bother to question her knowledge, assuming that the Gravemind must have been watching from somewhere. Rather than risk all of them getting shot and dying, the group decided to have those on foot hang back and fire on the Wraiths, the pair in their Wraith stay at a distance but fire on everything, and the Warthog zoom around as a semi-distraction because of its speed and maneuverability as compared to the other vehicles.

It was a good, sound plan, and one that worked, too. With fire coming seemingly from every direction at once, it was easy to make the Covenant collapse in a puddle of their own guts and die, which left their vehicles ripe for the taking. The small convoy moved on to thoroughly bombard the minuscule blockade that the Brutes were attempting to hold against the Spartans and the Forerunners, which meant that they were doomed to fail from the very beginning. There was a brief moment wherein they stocked up on ammo from a few pods that had not been deployed correctly from a Pelican, giving them pause. These were the pods. So what happened to the Pelican...?

It was around the bend, crashed into the highway itself, complete with the bodies of its dead crew. Some of the crew bore plasma burns, a sure sign that they had been alive after the crash but had been gunned down by the pack of Brutes holding the entrance to Voi. Rather than bomb the place to hell, the group decided that they would like it a lot more if they got to personally kill those responsible. One by one they dismounted and darted into cover, sliding through the shadows the crashed Pelican and cargo modules provided to better stalk their enemies.

The Brutes struggled in vain against their far-superior enemies; Fred caught one jump pack Brute off guard and slammed its nose up into its brain with a well-placed palm strike; Linda got a point-blank headshot, and Kelly swept one Brute's legs out from under it, slammed her knee into its gut, and broke its neck with a single swift twist. The Forerunner trio also went for similar methods of condoned murder, Venera even going so far as to claw one Jiralhanae's throat open with her bare hands when she saw that a few of the corpses had been desecrated by that particular Brute.

As the Spartans destroyed the power source for the tunnel's barrier, the three Infected went around and collected the dog tags from the bodies of the Marines, handing them to Fred while Jai inspected Venera's most recent kill. "Quite fiery when someone gets you riled, aren't you?" he commented, nudging the corpse with his boot as if he was expecting it to spring to life as a combat form.

"We don't like people disrespecting our sibling race," Lil'Ame said as she took exaggerated aim at the holopedestal generating an image of Truth, firing at it and destroying it in a blue-white explosion. As she did that, Commander Keyes' Pelican landed a short distance away.

"Lord Hood," the only daughter of Jacob Keyes said, undisguised relief in her tone, "we made it."

_"Music to my ears, Commander. What about the Ark?"_

"Fully uncovered, sir."

 _"Then we don't have much time,"_ the Fleet Admiral sighed, _"Marines, the Prophet of Truth doesn't know it yet, but he's about to get kicked right off his throne."_ An assault carrier passed overhead as the Spartans approached the Warthog Keyes had dropped off. _"We will take our city back. Drive our enemies to the graves they've been so happily digging. One final effort is all that remains."_

[Status.]

'At Voi, Commander. We're getting ready to enter the city.'

[Good. You're doing great.]

'Can we start singing the Spartan Theme?'

[Maybe later. I'm sending a few more to join your crew of merry men, and tell the Spartans that Red Team will be waiting for them inside.]

'You got it, sir.'

* * *

 _When you gonna wake up and fight... for yourself?_   
_When you gonna wake up and fight... for yourself?_   
_When you gonna wake up and fight... for yourself?_

-"Sound of Madness," Shinedown ( _The Sound of Madness_ )

* * *

Glossary

Firtyë Sé Qualmë: Die in Agony


	24. Twenty-Three: The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How does Bungie always make this look so easy…?

" _According to the... Forerunners,"_ Miranda Keyes said over the COM, _"the artifact Truth has found is not the Ark, but it is a portal generator leading to it. They have also confirmed that all of the Halo rings can be fired from the Ark, which makes it all the more important that we prevent him from getting there. Our only chance of stopping him is a surprise aerial assault. Clear this sector of Covenant anti-air defenses. Make a hole for the Admiral's ships. Good hunting. Keyes out."_

Said Forerunners were easily keeping pace with the trio of Warthogs as they trundled through the tunnel into Voi, effortlessly leaping around in a display of Flood-enhanced speed, agility, and synchronization. The moment their tiny convoy cleared the tunnel, all six of them leapt up onto the light posts and used them like springboards to cross the parking lot (if it could be called that) in an instant, dropping down in front of the blast door and patiently waiting for the humans to catch up, clearly conversing inside their heads. Venera was humming to herself, fingering the trigger of her Forerunner beam rifle, while her sister checked that her energy sword was fully charged before unlimbering her assault rifle, checking its charge as well.

' _They fall in line,_  
One at a time,  
Ready to play.  
(I can't see them anyway)  
No time to lose,  
We've got to move,  
Steady your helm.  
(I am losing sight again)'

Dacien slapped the door controls as the humans rode up and dismounted, the immense panels of steel sliding apart to reveal an empty hall. A handful of those on foot made to go up the stairs - right before Lil'Ame paced to the next door, flipped forward into a one-handed stand, and launched herself up to the deck where the next set of door controls was, saving them the trouble. The twins stuck out their tongues at her as they passed through the now-open doors; they had never been quite as good at that as she was. Lil'Ame smirked and jumped down as the chain gun on the back of the LRV unloaded hundreds of rounds into the Unggoy and Kig-Yar gathered around a holoprojection of the Prophet of Truth, cutting the bastard off mid-word.

The following blast door revealed much of the same, but thanks to the quick work of the snipers in their group, the Brute captain leading the Grunts and Jackals never got to make much use of the Ghosts that he had been provided. The Spartans commandeered them, naturally, and darted into the lakebed beyond with guns blazing.

" _Kilo-23, this is_ Forward Unto Dawn _," Lord_ Hood came over the COM, _"I need a sitrep, Commander."_

" _Atmospheric disturbance is increasing above the artifact, Admiral,"_ was the reply from the younger of the Keyes.

" _And the Spartans?"_

" _Moving as fast as they can, sir. I knew they'll get it done."_

' _Fire your guns,_  
It's time to run,  
Blow me away  
(I will stay in the mess I made)  
After the fall,  
We'll shake it off,  
Show me the way!'

There was only one true anti-air Wraith there, but another standard Covenant tank was on the far side of the expanse, bombarding a small but strongly built structure extending out from the wall. There were humans firing at it from inside - Red Team and a handful of Marines, they realized, and after a swift conference, the Infected went bounding off after the anti-air tank, leaving Blue and Gray Teams to rescue their siblings. Fortunately, someone had been kind enough to provide Sam-034 with a rocket launcher and a full set of reloads, enabling him to drop to one knee and zoom in on the Wraith, carefully gauging the distance and likelihood of movement before firing both rockets in quick succession. The Spartan was already reloading scant seconds after the last one left the barrels, keeping an eye on the Wraith.

The Brute in the driver's seat seemed not to realize that he was being fired upon by a much higher-powered weapon and didn't move an inch until the first rocket hit. Then, instead of moving out of the way like a smart person would have done, he simply swung his vehicle around to see where the fire was coming from, and was struck full on by the second rocket, blowing the whole thing to hell. The three teams met up in the tiny structure and watch the Forerunners raise hell for a few moments before moving forward and leaving them to it.

' _Only the strongest will survive,_  
Lead me to heaven when we die,  
I am a shadow on the wall,  
I'll be the one to save us all.'

As they made their way toward the next door, the Spartans took potshots at passing Ghosts, eventually killing all of their drivers because the stupid gits kept coming back for more. The Forerunners joined them at the doors, the Marines jogging along behind to catch up, but the door slid open unexpectedly to let a group of Jackals and Grunts come spilling out. They lifted their weapons automatically and heard some soldiers inside calling to them, "Check your fire; it's the Spartans! Flush them out, we'll nail them with the .50!"

Fred moved off to a door immediately to the left of the blast door that they'd entered through and headed up a short set of stairs, pitching a grenade out into the room and killing all the Grunts, dropping the shields of the Brutes and driving them out into the .50's line of fire. On the advice of one of the Infected, Sam picked up the dropped plasma turret that the Brute chieftain had been carrying, brushing off a smear of blood and hefting it up into a better position to lessen the strain on his upper body. They proceeded into the next hall, where a Phantom came into view and released a horde of Yam'ee, explaining why the Forerunners had requested the broken-off turret; it proved very effective against the flying terrors and very amusing in some cases.

Then as they passed into the next hall, ground shuddering beneath their feet - a Flickr of Cortana appeared before their eyes, looking first away, then straight at then as she said, _"I have defied gods and Demons."_

' _There's nothing left,_  
So save your breath,  
Lying in wait.  
(Caught inside this tidal wave)  
Your cover's blown,  
Nowhere to go,  
Holding your fate.  
(Loaded I will walk alone)'

It faded in moments, their HUDs degaussing automatically to recover from the brief lag, and they continued on, many of them sliding into the driver's seats of the small fleet of Mongooses assembled there in a half-circle. Someone opened the door and released them into the lakebed beyond, where two anti-air Wraiths were busy bombarding the distant human forces to dust. The Spartan guided their vehicles along with expert speed and precision, skidding past the first Wraith one at a time so that their passengers had time to get a good shot in; the Forerunners, meanwhile, skirted the edge of the bed and took cover in the boardwalk opposite Truth's Dreadnought, Venera and Kenera manning the two missile pod launchers there and gunning for the Choppers skittering about.

The second Wraith was destroyed a few moments later, vanishing in an explosion of blue-white light, and it was then that they fnally heard from the Forerunners' Gravemind. _"Take cover, there's a Scarab headed your way,"_ he growled over the radio, and even though they couldn't see the ship he was in, the ground shuddered violently as it passed overhead, aiming for the portal generator.

' _Fire your guns,_  
It's time to run,  
Blow me away,  
(I will stay in the mess I made)  
After the fall,  
We'll shake it off,  
Show me the way.'

" _That's an affirmative, Spartans; everybody get some cover!"_ Johnson called even as those on the ground began hearing the unmistakable humming of its movements and the thuds of its pedes hitting the ground as it climbed over the buildings and jumped to the ground.

The twins began firing at its joints for the Spartans, and Venera shouted, "Commander, I want one of those for the humans' Christmas!"

" _Maybe if you're good,"_ was the reply from the black Spartan.

The number of missiles that they launched swiftly reached the double digits, but finally it halted mid-stride and crouched, shuddering. Blue and Red Teams boarded it as swiftly as possible and left its crew as little more than smears of alien guts along the floor on their way to the core. Rather than fire full clips into the shield covering the main core, Fred threw a plasma grenade and made sure that it stuck before spinning out of the line of fire and waiting for the inevitable explosion. They audibly heard the shield dispel and quickly turned to unload their weapons into the Scarab's core; the moment it began flashing red, they all leapt off the nearest edge and began high-tailing it away from the Covenant weapon, desperate to get out of the blast range before it self-destructed.

' _Only the strongest will survive,_  
Lead me to heaven when we die,  
I am a shadow on the wall,  
I'll be the one to save us all.

 _You wanted it bad,_  
Don't make me mad,  
Here it comes!  
Die!'

The explosion itself sent a pale blue wash over everything, highlighting shadows and making reflective panels absolutely blinding, but the remains crashed to the ground despite the lovely light show it put on. " _Well done, Spartans,_ " Miranda said over the COM, " _I'm sending in a few Pelicans."_ She must have been watching from a distance or seen the explosion. Or both.

They made it up to the boardwalk just in time to find Venera apparently trying to figure out how to tear the missile pod from its mount, and Sam stepped up and did it for her, saying, "I'm guessing we'll need this in the near-future?"

"You'd be right," the elder twin stated (though only by a minute and a half), "Conserve ammo. In fact, don't use it at all until the Hunters show up."

Though the Forerunners ignored their obvious curiosity, the three teams all glanced at one another with raised eyebrows. There weren't any Hunters nearby, so how did they know what was coming? Did their ancestors have psychic powers or something?

"Or something," Dacien told them as he jogged by, "and stop talking out loud like that; it makes you look ridiculous."

' _Only the strongest will survive,_  
Lead me to heaven when we die,  
I am a shadow on the wall,  
I'll be the one to save us all.

' _Save us all!'_

[I think that's quite enough of Halo: the Musical right now, Venera.]

The Pelican Miranda sent dropped off the Arbiter and another handful of Marine reinforcements for the super soldiers, enabling them to continue on with a fresh complement of backup. The area that they headed into was essentially a heavily-armed field hospital; there were Marines with dressings on all over the place, some of those with less severe injuries working on the defenses of the area to keep the Covenant out until they could transport the wounded to a proper hospital. Just as they were passing through a second room, the ground shuddered, and once again they felt as if they were walking through thick jello as their armor lagged. Cortana materialized on their HUDs again, saying, " _I am your shield; I am your sword."_

"What _are_ these?" Fred growled as they emerged into what must be a warehouse, seeing a Brute pack terrorizing the flank guards off to their left.

"The Commander says that they're redundant, data-stripped copies of Cortana that have escaped _High Charity'_ s systems and come here," Lil'Ame supplied as she dropped to one knee and took a shot at a Brute captain whaling on some Marines on an upper level, trying not to hit the humans at the same time.

"...why did she copy herself?"

"It's one of her first lines of defense against the enemy Gravemind." Lil'Ame finally gave up with firing at the Brute and leapt up to the higher level, hitting the Brute with enough force to bend the battle rifle she was using as a temporary weapon while the microreactors in her assault rifle recycled. She blinked at the now-unusable weapon and sighed before tossing it away and picking up the spiker that her prey had dropped when it died. She and her infected siblings were extremely effective against the Jiralhanae, letting them pass through the warehouses without a single casualty, but just as they reached the exit, they saw what Venera meant about the Hunters.

A pair of them fired their fuel rod guns at a group of fleeing Traxus employees, killing four instantly and virtually melting their clothes to their skin. Immediately, the Spartans and Forerunners gave way for Sam, who was still carrying the missile launcher, and it only took one shot per worm colony to blast them into oblivion. "Are you _sure_ you're not psychic?" Kelly demanded as she switched her assault rifle out for the rocket launcher she was carrying and let fly both of the fuel-propelled explosives at the Chieftain twenty meters away; no one wanted to get cloe to the Gravity Hammer it carries.

"Positive," Venera replied, "or, at least, _I'm_ not psychic. The Gultanr have what we call 'predictive resonance.' It's kind of like an intuition that is _never flipping wrong_ , whether they like it or not, and they passed that ability on to the rest of us when they were infected. The Commander has it the worst; his body gives him symptoms when great losses of life are about to happen somewhere in the galaxy – killer migraines, nosebleeds, seizures… If he has something else to occupy his mind, he can ignore those symptoms, though. That's how he got through the first Flood War without getting killed accidentally."

"Any _really_ negative effects?" Linda put in, sticking a spike grenade to a Brute's helmet and darting out of the way when it exploded, spraying spikes everywhere.

"He was out of commission during the Fall of Reach, massive migraine and a pretty heavy nosebleed if I remember correctly. It took his almost a week and a half to get some color back into his face, cause if he wasn't already dead, it would have killed him." All three of the Forerunner females pitched grenades into the knot of Grunts and Jackals immediately around the bend and blew them all away, leaving the humans free to advance unhindered.

There was a hologram of Truth beyond the defenders, giving occasional speeches to inspire courage in his men. _"Darkened skies and lashing fire are all that remains for them when we,_ the worthy _, have passed beyond,"_ it said, and the Arbiter jogged over to it.

"I will not be shamed, not again, not by you," the Sangheili said firmly and turned off the holoprojector, lifting his dual plasma rifles and continuing on with the others.

"If it's any consolation, Arbiter," Kenera said, falling in next to the Elite, "in our language, the character Truth had branded into your chest means 'Brave,' not 'Shame.'"

"Truly?"

"It is the truth, on mine honor as one of the Infected."

"Then I am honored to bear it." The Sangheili nodded in thanks as they rounded the final bend, the great gun coming into view just as it fired, and a Longsword plummeted to the ground, its pilot struggling at the controls. As it passed overhead, a couple of the Covenant guarding the gun fired at it as if to mock the pilot's fighting the inevitable. Sam manned a chain-gun behind a layer of sandbags that had once been the sight of a Marine standoff, bringing the gun around to fire on the visible aliens.

" _Spartans, Hood's ships are closing fast! Destroy that gun; we're out of time!"_ Keyes sounded uncharacteristically desperate over the line, and the Spartans began running up the slope towards the anti-air gun, their assault rifles' bullets preceding them. They split into their teams and swept independently over the outcropping, gunning down the rather large contingent of Covenant soldiers holding the base of the structure. With some appropriate cover fire, Linda's sniper rifle proved especially effective against the multitude of Grunts running about while the other Spartans double- and triple-teamed their Jiralhanae commanders.

 _"Chief, that gun's been firing non-stop,_ " Johnson came over the COM, _"it's gotta be running hot! It's gonna be opening up its access panel!"_

The Spartans flashed an affirmative at him and turned all of their weapons skyward, waiting... The access panel to the core dropped open, and they unloaded everything they had into it, though not fast enough. The panel slid closed again, and they turned their attention to the pair of Banshees that had noticed the commotion and come over to assist. The chain gun that Sam had broken off was worth its weight in gold; the bullets from it penetrated the fuselage of the airborne vehicles and destroyed vital components, sending the two plummeting to the ground just as the plasma vent opened up again. S-034 unloaded the rest of the bullets into the core, finally destroying it and barely darting out of the way in time to escape the collapsing panels of the gun.

Explosions rippled the length of the gun, the actual barrel exploding off of the base as they paced away from it, the Arbiter right behind them as they moved to the cliff edge, gazing out over the portal generator with the Dreadnought where Truth was hiding. It was then that they heard the roars of Hood's ships on approach, scores of Longswords racing overhead in formation, attacking the Dreadnought directly with their on-board nukes. The explosions were perfectly visible even at the distance they were at, and the single ships peeled away from the area as the full-size ships approached, their MAC guns at the ready. The immense slugs slammed into the Dreadnought with no visible effects just as John shouted, " _All ships, fall back! The Portal Generator is coming online!"_

It was too late; the main platform retracted slightly, fourteen stabilizing panels unfolding from the structure itself even as the central platform, where Truth's Dreadnought stood, was swiftly pulled down into it, an energy field racing up over it and projecting upward from the tip of the Dreadnought in a thin beam of pale blue light. The ancient machinery groaned and moaned as it was activated for the first time in one hundred thousand years, the sound sending shivers down the Spartans' spines.

The energy field intensified slowly, the light growing brighter, then pulsed up to an even higher intensity, the output of force shaking all of the ships before it began to pull them in towards the central platform. The Spartans, Infected and Arbiter were slammed backwards against a rock outcropping and looked up just in time to see the field intensity begin to increase again, whiting out their surroundings.

" _This,"_ a copy of Cortana whispered in their ears, " _is the way the world ends."_

When their vision finally cleared of spots, the Spartans shook their heads to clear the last bits of their blackouts and staggered to their feet, blinking up at the Portal. It had a deep black core, fading to a misty electric blue at the edges, and the Dreadnought was accelerating towards it even as the UNSC ships seemed to fall slowly away from it, temporarily dead.

Coughing, Lord Hood came on the line and demanded, " _What did Truth just do? Do he activate the rings?"_

" _Negative, Admiral,"_ John broke in before Keyes could say something, _"We debriefed Commander Keyes but did not have enough time to get our intel to you as well. The structure that the Covenant uncovered is a generator that creates a portal that leads to the Ark, not the Ark itself."_ The Brute ships followed Truth's through the portal, leaving the humans behind.

" _Thank heavens for small mercies, then."_

" _Not necessarily. We've got a new contact Slipping in on our radar, confirmed enemy Flood presence on board."_ The Gravemind rattled off the exit location, and the Spartans turned just in time to see the Flood-controlled ship transition out of Slipspace before it flew alarmingly close overhead, trailing smoke and spores, finally going down in a flash of light beyond the line of buildings behind them.

"What is it?" the Arbiter asked, having not been privy to the conversation between John and Lord Hood, "More Brutes?"

"Worse," Fred growled in reply, lifting his battle rifle in preparation for the new and far more terrible fight ahead.

* * *

 _And behold a Cowboy came into town, dirty and worn._  
He had Black eyes, long hair and lines that cut deep into his frown.  
He had the right hand of the devil strapped tightly to his side.  
And you could tell fear abandoned this outlaw in a previous life.

-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	25. Twenty-Four: Floodgate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on Red versus Blue...

The portal generator looked like a strange city, lit up by the energy streams flowing up out of the core and along the machinery that made up the generator, the power sustaining the deep navy portal above the remains of Kenya's devastated landscape. Faint streams of blue energy were being emitted from the fourteen "arms" stretching skyward, sinking into the portal and giving its edges a wispy look as they maintained the hard light boundary.

 _"The Flood,"_ Miranda said worriedly, _"It's spreading all over the city."_ The Spartans, Forerunners, and Arbiter were already moving towards the devastated city, sprinting down the slope away from the remains of the gun and pounding back onto the asphalt.

 _"How do we contain it?"_ Lord Hood asked.

 _"Find the crashed Flood ship. Overload its engine core,"_ she advised, _"We either destroy this city, or risk losing the entire planet."_

Lord Hood didn't even hesitate to give the order. _"Do it."_

 _"Senior Chief, make your way to the crash site_."

Blue, Red, and Gray Teams tensed when a handful of combat forms leapt overhead, but the Forerunners ignored them in favor of darting around the Spartans and moving further into the city. _"All squads, report!"_ Sergeant Reynolds suddenly barked over the COM.

 _"Multiple contacts, unknown hostiles."_ It abruptly hit the group that the vast majority of the UNSC had no idea how to fight the Flood, and they picked up their pace, wanting to get to the unprepared Marines before the Flood did. _"There, over there! We're surrounded, Sergeant!"_

They rounded a corner and came upon a squad of Marines just outside of the door leading into the Traxus warehouse, but as they got closer, a score of Infection pods fell from above, along with a handful of already-claimed combat forms, the Gravemind seeking the Marines for its own, as well. Thanks to the quick thinking of the Forerunners, all but one of the humans escaped infection, and the extra guns were very much welcome when they took on the combat forms that awaited them.

'Ta'Ron-'

[For the love of - I AM _NOT_ THE CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD!]

'Yet.' Kenera interjected as their group took the time to reload their human weapons before ducking inside the warehouse.

[Goddesses, I hope the day never comes. What is it?]

'Has the _Darkest Hour_ already gone through the portal?'

[Yes, they're inside the docking station on the north arm.]

'...which way is north again?' Venera ducked the swat of the combat form made from the Marine that had been previously chased by Infection pods, and viciously slammed the butt of her rifle into the place where the pod protruded from the corpse's torso, popping it under the incredible force.

[The Core-Cartographer line marks 'north.' Status?]

'Right. We're on the move, heading back into Voi to retrieve Cortana's message-'

[Provided it's there.]

'-Don't be such a pessimist, sir. Nothing's gone SNAFU yet, so I assume we're in the clear.' Venera and her twin darted out of the way as Fred hurled a grenade at the mob of combat forms on the floor below; it bounced once and exploded, blowing the majority of the combat forms and Infection pods to hell and saving the lives of several Marines in the process. The squad had been split up by the Flood, and though a handful had been lost fighting the parasite, they were happy to be reunited.

[The operative word being 'yet.'] He sighed over the mental connection. [I'll be waiting for you on the _Shadow of Intent_.]

'Affirmative, sir.' The Infected chose to leap over the warehouse's section partition rather than go around like the Spartans, Marines, and Arbiter would have to, and they alighted easily atop the stacked shipping containers all over that part of the room, promptly leaping over the next partition and charging into battle against the Flood that awaited them.

"How do you do that?!" Alice demanded as the ground-pounders _finally_ caught up with the Infected, only to find them sitting atop a pile of corpses, cleaning their weapons.

"Do what?"

"Jump fifty feet in the air! I've seen the Flood make some pretty good leaps, but more in the ten to twenty-five range!"

"Our armored suits are custom-built Class 42 Combat Skins, designed and built specifically for our use," Dacien replied, "It enhances our natural abilities to the point where, if we put all of our effort behind it, we could punch through six feet of steel in one go. 'Course, we didn't think Traxus would appreciate that when they're doing clean up." He jumped down from the pile and headed toward a slightly-concealed set of stairs, the other Infected following close behind.

"What does that make our MJOLNIR on your scale?"

"Class 2, maybe 3."

"You mean to tell me that your armor is between fourteen and twenty-one times as powerful as ours."

"Perhaps. There's a lot more to account for than just the strength of the plating and shields." The Forerunners chose to break the glass off to their right once they had entered the brightly lit room and leapt through the opening rather than drop down through the floor, the Spartans following them out. Just as they impacted on the lower level, their armor's systems began to lag again, slowing them down as Cortana's copy whispered, _" Chief! I can't tell you everything; it's not safe. The Gravemind - it knows I'm..."_ but it trailed off and died away before it could finish. "I'll send you all of the qualifications later," Dacien finished, tossing a frag grenade that he'd stolen from Kelly between the partition and the ceiling in the next room.

The combat forms beyond screamed and died as the grenade exploded, enabling them to move around the corner and gun down the remainder before moving on with the now-amazed humans. They could hear a terrified Marine talking in the next room, and Venera knelt next to him. "I...I didn't have a choice...!" he gasped, rocking back and forth, occasionally lifting a pistol to his temple before the Forerunner gently took it from him, "The L-T...the Sergeant...they were all infected! I could see it crawling... _sliding around beneath their skin!"_ The twin pulled the traumatized human into a hug, and he clutched at her for comfort. "A-and then they got up...they s-started to talk! _Oh, God! Their voices!_ Oh, God! No, _make them stop!_ I did them a favor...y-yeah that's it; I _helped_ them! _(sobs)_ Maybe...maybe I need to help myself..."

Venera looked up and shook her head, waving them on and calling for Etra to teleport her and the psyche ward's latest patient onto the _Perfect Storm_. The bright golden rings rippled around them, the pair disappearing a moment later, and the group continued out onto the boardwalk just as a CCS-class battle cruiser roared overhead.

 _"Hail, humans, and take heed,"_ Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum called over the COM as orbital drop pods thudded into the ground, their covers bursting outward to release the Sangheili amongst the Flood, _"This is the carrier,_ Shadow of Intent _. Clear this sector, while we deal with the Flood."_

The Spartans and Forerunners quickly moved to support the Sangheili against the alien parasite, jumping down to the lakebed and blowing a handful of combat forms to bits as they landed. The Sangheili seemed not to realize who the Forerunners were, and humanity's ancestors seemed to want to keep it that way for the moment, so they said nothing; the Arbiter, however, stepped forward. "My brothers, I fear you bring bad news."

" _High Charity_ has fallen," the Major Domo replied sadly, "become a dreaded hive."

"And the fleet?" the Arbiter asked as the Forerunners moved forward with the Minor Domos to block off the area to the Flood, "Has quarantine been broken?"

"A single ship broke through our line, and we gave chase."

"But we have a fleet of hundreds!"

'Not a very reassuring thought, when the remainder of our fleets number in the tens,' Fred thought as he and the rest of Blue Team took potshots at the Flood streaking in their direction.

"Alas, brother," the Major stated, shaking his head, "the Flood - it has evolved!" He hefted his weapon as Venera reappeared, the Elites taking a good look at the Forerunner for the very first time, and she glanced at them before bounding forward to reinforce her brothers- and sisters-in-arms.

"How is he?" Kelly called over their gunfire, aiming for the combat forms that leapt up to meet them in their advance.

"He should be alright," Venera replied, picking up a plasma sword and dexterously slicing a pair of combat forms to bits, "Our best and brightest are looking after him; he was sleeping when I left." She shut the sword off and swapped it for the suppressor over her back, kicking one of the combat forms off the cliff edge as she moved up next to her twin.

"Good."

"What's the probability that he'll recover?" one of the Marines still tailing them asked, looking concerned.

"Almost 75 percent, I think. He was just diagnosed with PTSD, and we have a couple of methods of treating that, all very likely to succeed. We ourselves use them quite regularly."

"Mm." The warriors pounded up the slope and into a melee of Brute and human combat forms, fighting for their lives, and Kenera paused at the door into the transport tunnel, fiddling with something small with her twin covering her back. Finally, the Arbiter beat down the last of the combat forms and stamped on it to crush the Infection pod in its chest, and they moved over to where Venera was wrestling with a small sphere.

"Care to explain?"

"It's a Resonator," she growled, finally seeming to get it the way she wanted after much struggling, and pulled out a pair of earplugs, "an experimental form of a full size one. It releases a sound wave at such a high intensity that should be enough to pop the Infection Pods, even the ones inside the combat forms. Here's hoping it works. You might want to back away." The humans and Sangheili began doing so.

"Wait," Kelly said suddenly, reaching out and grabbing her wrist, "what about you?"

"We are not 'infected' like they are; the Commander personally injected the majority of us with his Flood DNA. In the rest of the cases, we have already integrated our pods, so either way, we're good." She gave them a sharp-edged grin, then charged around the corner, throwing the Resonator at the enemy Flood. She darted back out of the warehouse and crouched down with her hands over her ears. Even with their earplugs and other sound dampeners and the wall between them and the device, the sound hit them like a ton of bricks. Some of the Sangheili staggered, a few of the Marines fell over.

When they entered the warehouse an beheld all the dead enemy Flood, Jai said, "I think I'm in love," in a deadpan tone, shoulders slumping in relief. Then he cocked his head, "I'm also out of ammo, give me a second."

The other Spartans followed his example, rooting through the corpses for extra ammunition as Venera and the other Infected stowed their earplugs. "Unfortunately, this little thing isn't large enough to be powered by a micro reactor. It runs on battery power." She shook it gently, checking to see if any parts had been damaged by the sound waves before placing it back inside a pouch on her hip.

As fast as they possibly could, the allies moved on from there, out into the open air at the crash site. The ship had plowed into the ground and broken open, caught on fire, spewing Flood spores and thick black billows of smoke into Earth's atmosphere. Miranda chose that moment to come over the line. _"Spartans, the Elites are looking for something. We didn't believe them when they told us."_

 _"It's Cortana, Chief; she's on that ship!"_ Johnson growled, _"Find her, get her out!"_

Immediately, the Spartans began to hustle, gunning down any combat forms that headed their way. They shot straight for the spots where the Infection pods protruded from the host's torso, seeking to eliminate their parasitic foes as fast as they possibly could. As they moved around shipping containers strewn all over the place, they came across a new form of Flood, a sort-of spider like being that lunged at them and knocked Fred's shields down in one blow.

Venera tackled it, snarling, and literally ripped it in half, making everyone visibly take a step back - except for the other Infected, who were used to such displays of protectiveness bordering on possessiveness. The lot of them took cover behind two large shipping containers and peered around at the wreckage as a vibrant green Phantom dropped off some Elite reinforcements.

There were more of the Stalker forms prowling around, along with some large beings with essentially fleshy spikes for arms; the Forerunners called them "Tank" forms. One of the Stalker forms jumped up onto the wall nearby and began to mutate, making all of the "newcomers" to the Flood War raise an eyebrow; Thenma grabbed a plasma grenade from Zadok's hip, ignited it, and hurled it at the now-Ranged form before it could start firing at them. It exploded and sent the Pure form crashing to the ground; the Forerunners quickly hustled them on past the body, aiming for a large rent in the side of the ship.

"Hurry, Demons!" the Sangheili Major with them called as more Flood charged forward to kill them, "We seek the same prize. But our Shipmaster will sacrifice _all_ to stop the Flood." He drew his plasma sword to cut down a Tank form lumbering in his direction. There were Pure forms mutating all over the place, mostly into Tank and Ranged forms, which promptly attacked the group of allies as they fought their way through wave upon wave of walking corpses.

All three teams thundered up the slope leading to the rent in the ship, but only Blue Team continued on in. "We'll stay here," Douglas-042 said firmly, dropping to one knee next to the opening and sweeping the area with his assault rifle, "let nothing pass."

The four Spartans going in hesitated on the edge, preparing to jump but trying to see the safest route in. Linda finally dropped through the opening, falling from ledge to ledge until she reached the bottom, and the other three followed her lead, finally landing in Flood muck and trudging forward around a pillar of Flood flesh. Scant seconds later, their HUDs began to darken, their armor lagging yet again, but this time a terrible voice whispered in their ears and in their minds, **"Do not be afraid. I am peace... I am salvation..."**

 _"It's not here_ ," Kenera said over the radio _, "Just keep going_."

Fred flashed an affirmative at her and continued forward, passing a handful of dead SpecOps Elites before dropping through another opening onto a short stretch of bulkhead uncovered by the Flood flesh growing on the walls. They splashed through a pool of opaque white liquid and moved through another short tunnel into an open space. A console dominated the center of the room, an AI housing resting on top of it.

They advanced toward it, but once again, the Gravemind began speaking to them. **"I am a timeless chorus. Join your voice with mine and sing victory everlasting!"**

Fred lost patience and leapt up onto the console itself, activating the housing. With a slight hiss, Cortana's hologram appeared over it and said, _"Chief!"_

"Cortana?"

 _"_ High Charity _, the Prophet's holy city, is on its way -"_ Her hologram suddenly flickered and vanished, and the hum of a Phantom overhead pulled their attention away from the AI. Much to their surprise, 343 Guilty Spark floated down out of the Phantom.

"Reclaimers," he said as the Spartans aimed at the Monitor, before he blasted a combat form that had been sneaking up on them from behind. "I must act quickly, before your construct suffers any further trauma!" He picked up the portable housing with some kind of tractor beam before Fred grabbed him by the cowlings, pulling the device out of reach.

"Wait," he growled, "Leave her _alone_."

"If we do not take this device to a safe location, somewhere I can make repairs," Spark said, once again activating his tractor beam to grab a hold of the housing, but Fred broke the connection again.

"On Halo," he snapped, "You tried to _kill_ Cortana. You tried to kill _us._ " He released the Monitor but held the housing out of reach just the same.

"Protocol dictated my response!" the Monitor insisted, "She had the activation Index, and you were trying to destroy my Installation. You _did_ destroy my Installation. Now I have only one function: to help you, Reclaimers, as I always should have done." He sounded truly remorseful, so Fred reluctantly held out the housing. Spark took it and ascended upwards into the Phantom, the transport's grav beam picked up the Spartans one by one. All of the other teams in the area were picked up by other Phantoms and swiftly got well out of the glassing zone, the thick beams of plasma from the cruisers vitrifying the surface immediately and making it red hot even as the ruins of the Flood-controlled carrier spewed spores and smoke into the skies.

"Will it live, Oracle?" Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum asked the Monitor as he tried to do delicate repairs and interfacing with his tractor beam, "Can it be saved?"

"Uncertain," Spark replied honestly, "This storage device has suffered considerable trauma. Its matrices are - highly unstable."

"Perhaps one of our technicians - " Lord Hood began, taking a step forward, but Rtas cut him off with a "That will not be necessary."

Right then, the storage device appeared to have reached a point where it was functional enough to resume playback, which it promptly did. Cortana's hologram appeared over the container once again; _"Chief!"_

"Success!" Spark was clearly proud of himself.

 _"_ High Charity _, the Prophet's holy city,"_ she said again, _"is on its way to Earth - with an army of Flood."_ The recording instantly had the complete and undivided attention of every sentient being in the room. _"I can't tell you everything; it's not safe. The Gravemind - it knows I'm in the system."_ The recording began to skip, the damage its container had sustained interrupting the playback.

For a brief instant, the collective gazes of everyone in the "War Room" flicked to the hazy figure flanked by his Infected before moving to Fred, who stated, "It's just a message."

When it looked like Rtas was not going to say anything against that, John spoke up. "Let it play."

Spark jolted it again, and the recording resumed: _"But it doesn't know about the portal, where it leads. On the other side, there's a solution, a way to stop the Flood without firing the remaining Halo rings."_ She gasped and cried out in pain, collapsing to the "ground," and all but the Infected missed the way John jerked forward as if to reach out, to protect her. The hologram appeared to take a moment to collect itself before moving into a semi-upright position, touching its head for an instant. _"Hurry, Chief... The Ark - there isn't much time."_ The playback began to skip again, but it was clear that the message was finished.

"I'm... sorry," the Monitor said to the group.

"No matter, Oracle," Rtas said quietly, "we've heard enough." Then, louder, "Our fight is through the portal, with the Brutes and the bastard Truth!" The other Sangheili in the War Room roared their approval of the Shipmaster's statement.

"Fine," Hood said in a subdued tone of voice, as if he was resigning himself to being consumed, "we'll remain here. Hold out as long as we can."

"Did you not hear?" the Shipmaster asked, "Your world is doomed." A swift tap of a control enabled him to descend from his throne, and he clenched a fist. "A Flood army, a Gravemind-" Once again, John ignored the people staring at him with practiced ease, "-has you in its sights. You can barely survive a small contamination."

"And you, Shipmaster, just glassed half a continent!" Hood shot back, "Maybe the Flood isn't all I should be worried about."

"One single Flood spore-"

"Would you all stop staring at me?"

"-can destroy a species. Were it not for the Arbiter's consul, I would have glassed your entire planet!"

Lord Hood was ready to snap back a reply when Miranda laid a hand on his arm. "Sir, with respect, Cortana has a solution - one that I assume exists." She glanced at the Gravemind for confirmation.

"It does."

"Even so, did you see her condition? How damaged she is? This 'solution' could be a Flood trap!"

"We should go through the portal," Miranda insisted firmly, "find out for sure."

"What we should do, Commander," Hood said, laying a hand on her shoulder, "is understand, _clearly_ , that this is humanity's final stand. Here, at Earth. We go, we risk everything, every last man, woman, and child. If we stand our ground, we might just have a chance."

When it looked like the Arbiter was not going to speak, John snorted, making everyone look at him oddly. He turned his head slightly to look at the Spartans, saying, "Do you remember what my Infected told you about my abilities?"

"You mean about your - what was it? 'Predictive resonance?'"

"Indeed. That is why I know that _High Charity_ is not coming here. It's going to the Ark, and heaven help you if the Flood gets there and spreads unchecked; even the Halos won't be able to save you." The Dark Spartan shook his head slightly. "The Halos can both be fired and permanently deactivated from the Ark – that's why Truth wanted to get there so badly. If the enemy Flood takes control of the Ark and then comes back here… I don't know about you, but I'm going. And I'll be leaving about forty thousand infected Forerunners here to help out if something _does_ happen; that way you can get a hold of us quickly."

The Fleet Admiral blinked, then waved them all on, saying, "Then by all means. I'll lend you the _Dawn_ , Commander. What about the Spartans?"

"That depends. Do you want us back in five months or five days?"

"The 'days' is preferable."

"Then they should come with us. All of them."

"A- You won't need all seventy-five of them!"

"That _you_ know. Let's see here... we've got Truth and his minions, the enemy Gravemind and his, and the Ark's defense systems. When you're up against all of that, it's always a good idea to have more firepower than necessary. They're your first line of defense against Earth's foes, and the Ark is about to become the first line of battle in the Second Human-Flood War. They should come to help fight. And the three Forerunner ships that my Infected are on board will be remaining behind, too."

Hood waved in the general direction of the Spartans. "Prepare for deployment to the Ark. Have fun."

* * *

John decloaked the _Perfect Storm_ at the very edge of the portal, watching through the eyes of his various sycophantic followers as the Sangheili ships and the _Forward Unto Dawn_ were prepared for battle. He moved silently, restlessly about the bridge of his ship, waiting for the all clear to head on through.

A hundred thousand years of waiting, and it was almost over. The Halo Campaign - they were almost there.

 _"Parasite,"_ Rtas crackled over the COM, making him raise an eyebrow.

"Receiving," he said absently, scratching the throat of his Dragon-horse as it trailed along behind him in his pacing.

_"We are ready to depart."_

"Then let's get moving."

* * *

 _(Why) looking but never seeing._  
(Why) searching but never finding.  
(Why) for the kiss to bring his  
cold dead heart back to life. 

\- "The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	26. Twenty-Five: The Ark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EPIC SHOOTING MANEUVER!

The mixed fleet arrived swiftly at the Ark, but the Brutes were already waiting for them. The station sprawled out below them like some kind of enormous space-bound starfish. The reality of the Ark was far more amazing than they had imagined it to be; it virtually was paradise, with a wide variety of climates and systems to maintain those climates – deserts right next to tundra, temperate next to tropical.

That did nothing to change the fact that there were scores of enemy ships headed in their direction, and they barely numbered fifteen.

Still, it was they who had the advantage. Though he refused to use the Blast or Aura Falls so close to the Lesser Ark, John ordered the safeties taken off the _Storm_ 's main guns. The central reactors automatically boosted their output, bringing online the micro reactors inside the guns themselves; a special feature of the _Fleet of Shadows_ to enable them to continue evasive maneuvers even when firing at full power. The two Falls, the _Fleet_ 's ultimate weapons, actually had a dedicated pair of reactors meant solely to power them.

[Squads 1 through 20 - go to ground with the Spartans. Fan out, secure all the main data nodes, but leave the Citadel.] There was a chorus of affirmative replies from the squad leaders. [Squads 21 through 35 - I need you in the single fighters. This ragtag band of ships needs cover.] More affirmatives. [Everyone else - you're either maintaining the ship or on the long guns.] "Etra," John said aloud as his bridge crew took their stations, "I need you to teleport all of the combat squads to the surface, as close to the main nodes as you can."

_"Affirmative, Commander."_

"Brute ships, staggered line," Nep'Thalia alerted him, "they outnumber us three-to-one."

"Then it is an even fight," John said, smirking as he repeated Rtas's famous words, "All ships, fire at will! Burn their mongrel hides!" [I have always wanted to say that.]

Meanwhile, all seventy-five of the registered Spartans were boarding the Pelicans that would take them down onto the Ark, Epheria snuggled contentedly into the holster on Fred's hip. _I'm so excited,_ she trilled, practically bouncing with eagerness as the half-ton warriors settled into their Pelicans, making a few of them roll their eyes behind their visors.

 _"Truth's ship isn't taking part in the attack,"_ Miranda told them over the COM channel, _"He must have gone to ground."_

"Roger that, ma'am," Johnson said as he entered the cockpit of Blue and Red Teams' Pelican, settling into the co-pilot's seat, "we're on him. Kick the door." The last bit was directed at the pilot, who nodded and did exactly that. One by one, the small armada of Pelicans fell towards the Ark from the _Dawn_ , the Forerunner single fighters zipping around them as they provided cover fire. One of them abruptly changed course and intercepted a trio of shots that would have destroyed one of the transports, but the fighter’s shields barely shimmered as it drew a bead on the Seraph that had fired on the humans.

As a result of the Forerunner pilots' kindness, all of the transports were able to weave in and out of the fighting cruisers, narrowly missing colliding with the Infected flagship as it rammed a Covenant frigate, and finally, they entered the atmosphere and approached their destination, leaving the airborne battle behind them. "We good, Hocus?"

 _"She's a little cooked, Sergeant Major,"_ the pilot replied, _"but she'll hold."_

"Alright, pop the hatch."

The first close-up look that the Spartans got of the Ark was a vast desert with the foothills of a mountain range in the distance. There were the occasional spurs of rock up through the sand, but the area was largely rolling dunes shifting at the metaphorical hands of the never-ceasing wind. "That's some view," one of the ODST's with them stated.

 _"Enjoy it while you can, Marines,"_ Johnson growled, _"Soon as we land, we're right back to it. Priority one: Secure a Landing Zone for the Commander's Frigate. Keep your eyes and ears open. We need all the Intel we can get on this ‘Ark.’"_ The Pelicans glided forward and gracefully spun around to discharge their passengers out onto a rocky plateau a hundred meters above the desert floor. _"Stand to, Marines!"_

"Oo-rah!" several of them called, clambering out of their seats and snatching up their already-prepped weapons.

_"Go, go, go!"_

The warriors and their backup hopped down from the Pelicans in twos and threes, meeting up with the other Pelican's occupants just around the bend when one of the soldiers noticed something. "Hey, check it out, in the sky. Is that-?"

"Hey, focus. We've got a job to do," another called, but that didn't stop everyone from glancing up to see what had caught the first ODST's attention.

The Milky Way galaxy was a swirl of light in the sky, clearly visible despite the Ark's own unnatural illumination and the occasional explosion that blocked part of their home from view. The _Perfect Storm_ was clearly visible against one of the galaxy's spiral arms, all sleek angles and lines; they realized then that it had been the ship that had taken down the _Ascendant Justice_ 's shields for them. The Gravemind, John - had he been looking out for them all this time?

They moved on through a short tunnel and up onto a ridge running along one side of a dry wash, where an Infected squad waited for them, their weapons trained on the Covenant below. The aliens were watching Truth's hologram as he gave an inspiring speech. "My Dreadnought cannot rise. Even now it is engaged; turn death into war for this new world. Do not relent until the heretic ships are smashed!"

The Spartans quickly got into position with the Forerunners and began firing at the enemies, aiming for the Brutes first. Though the Grunts could be just as deadly in large numbers, the Brutes were their leadership. Without them, the lesser aliens would panic and run about in conniptions of terror, making them that much easier to pick off. Linda took the first shot, blowing a clean hole through the Captain Major's skull and sending him tumbling to the ground between a pair of cargo modules.

The human and Forerunner snipers afforded them a huge advantage, enabling the Marines to escape unscathed from the battle without actually firing a shot. They dropped down into the wash and began checking to make sure that the aliens were actually dead before moving on, encountering a Jackal with a carbine and a terrified Grunt. Both of them were easy to kill, and the group of humans and their ancestors continued on through the tunnel ahead, though the former were startled when motion-activated Covenant torches flared to life as they passed.

"They're setting up an AA battery," a Marine at the forefront of the pack whispered, "That thing could tear the _Dawn_ apart."

That made it all the more important for them to take it down; Fred gestured for them all to fan out and each pick separate targets to kill on his signal. There were plenty of enemies for them to pick from, and at the signal, they all began firing, painting the sand with multicolored blood. The snipers worked with ruthless efficiency, gunning for the command structure over all others, while the rest took out the Grunts, Jackals, and lower-ranked Brutes. In a handful of minutes, the area was clear, but the Forerunners prevented them from advancing. "Wait for it..."

A scant moment later, a Phantom soared over the ridge and dropped of a pair of Hunters of below the gun before flying away. There was a sudden explosive report from somewhere overhead, and they all looked up just in time to see Venera heave her twin back up onto the crossbeam of a buried Forerunner structure, saying, "The Commander _told_ you that you need more muscle mass to handle the Incineration Cannons!"

They could not argue with the results, though; the subsequent explosion had killed one Hunter and damaged the other's armor, leaving it vulnerable to fire from their weapons. Its body crumpled to the ground under the hail of metal, and one by one, the twins and their squad dropped down to join them. The now roughly platoon-sized group advanced up the slope on the opposite side of the gun and encountered still more unfriendly aliens guarding the way into the hidden structure.

 _"Spartans,"_  Keyes said worriedly over the radio, _"I'm giving the Brutes all I've got, but this is a heavyweight fight; the_ Dawn _'s only got the tonnage to last a few rounds. Find me a place to set her down, over!"_

CATEGORIZATION HAS QUICKENED WITH THE NEW IMPROVEMENTS   
BUT THE INDEXING OF SENTIENT SPECIES HAS CAUSED EXTINCTION EVENTS ON [18 WORLDS]   
{//} (WOULD THAT IT WERE MY CHOICE TO COME HOME)   
{//} (I AM CLOSE – CLOSE TO SAVING THEM ALL)   
I HAVE LEFT THE SPHERE AND ENTERED THE ENEMY’S TERRITORY   
THE THINKING DEAD ARE EVERYWHERE   
{//} (DESPITE THIS MORALE REMAINS HIGH)   
{//} (BUT THEY KNOW THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO SAVE THEM)   
THEY SACRIFICED THEIR CITIES TO HALT IT   
{//} (AN DELIBERATE ATTEMPT AT RESOURCE DENIAL)   
IS THIS THE NOBLE SACRIFICE THAT MY CREATOR’S SPOKE OF?   
WHERE IS THE NOBILITY IN STREETS PAVED WITH CARBON AND ASH?   
{//} (MY MOUTH SPEAKING AT ANOTHER’S BEHEST)

The lot of them dropped off a small ledge and proceeded through a short hall, forced to ignore the fascinating holograms off to one side, and just as they exited the opposite door, a Longsword roared by, trailing fire and smoke, its pilot crying, _"Thrusters are gone; I can't control it!"_ A moment later, the ground shuddered with the fighter's impact, and the Spartans heard the Forerunners murmur a soft prayer for the pilot's soul.

"They got our Pelican, too, sir," a Marine hunkered down inside the cavern beyond the door whispered, "but before we went down, we spotted a good LZ. If we can get to our vehicles, we'll lead you to it."

Linda was already getting a line on the Captain Major standing next to the downed transport, her tongue between her teeth as she narrowed her focus. Kenera had reluctantly turned over her launcher to one of the "Brute Squad," a group of about five hundred Forerunners chosen for their strength and distributed amongst the combat squads, trading it for an assault rifle, and she now served as the redhead's spotter, protecting her from close-range attackers while she took down other foes from afar. The silver-haired twin took this task very seriously and took down all of the Covenant soldiers that approached.

Once again, though the area was clear, the Forerunners told them to hold position, and sure enough, a pair of Prowlers skidded into view. The Jiralhanae riding them dismounted on one side of the canyon, and Sam-034 took that opportunity to hurl a plasma grenade into the tight knot the aliens formed immediately after they hopped off.

The Forerunners had jumped up overhead onto the ridge circling the open space where the Pelican had crashed, and while some of them were leaping on ahead, others were using the advantageous position to kill the Brutes that were trying to hide, leaving the Spartans to tango with the others. The vehicles were left to the humans; the Infected had no need of them when they could take shortcuts and simply jump or climb over the stone impediments.

[Decimating the enemy's fleet; there's an app for that,] John chuckled suddenly as the _Storm_ roared overhead, chasing a much, _much_ smaller Brute ship on its way to one of the concealed docking stations on the Ark.

'Indeed. Can I have a rocket launcher for Christmas?'

The humans swerved around the crashed Longsword and the Phantom beyond it, visibly tensing when they was a sudden drop beyond that.

[Request denied. Resubmit in 30 days for further disapproval.]

'But you're giving my sister a Scarab!' Kenera protested as she jumped across a gap between rock walls and began firing on the Covenant squad and Chopper pair guarding the main door through the wall.

[...Kenera, you can barely pick up the launchers, much less fire them. **_But!_** \- if you can prove to me before Christmas that you can handle one, I let you have one of your very own.]

'YES!' The second-born twin did a little twirl on top of her rock as Johnson's Pelican soared overhead.

"Ma'am, Hocus almost got a wing shot off," the Sergeant Major said, swinging the chain gun in the back of the Pelican this way and that, looking for more foes, "but we spotted a structure on the other side of this wall. It matches Cortana's description of the map room from the first Halo ring."

 _"A Cartographer, good,"_ Keyes replied, _"Should help us fix Truth's location. Secure the LZ, and we'll push through that wall."_

"Roger that. Follow my Pelican, Senior Chief! The LZ's this way." Hocus and the Sergeant zoomed away, the Sentinels that had been engaging the Brutes following close behind, and they distinctly heard one of the ODSTs quietly mutter something about them, not wanting to insult their creators to their faces.

Immediately around the bend in the path was a pair of Ghosts patrolling beneath a long platform set into the thick stone; the vehicles began chasing one another, and Thenma provided the perfect distraction - 

"EEEEEK! A skull! - Oh. Nope. No, never mind."

-for the Spartans to mow down one of the Ghosts and pin the other against the rock face, the Unggoy piloting it deciding to take his chances and dismounting as fast as possible. He would have lived longer had he stayed on the Ghost; as it was, he was filled full of holes, courtesy of the Warthog turret as the LRV went skidding by, Alice at the wheel.

The small army of soldiers continued on and ran headlong into a tight knot of Jackals firing on still more humans pinned down in front of a cave. There were more Covenant gathered off on their left, and Fred directed Alice in that direction, gesturing for Grace to use the LAAG to take out the Brute leader, while Douglas gunned for the Grunts that were tearing off towards another pair of Ghosts.

The Terrible Twins got there first, however, and claimed the single vehicles for their own after slaying the Covenant cannon fodder; both silver-haired hellions drove off, cackling and somehow managing to high-five one another while John groaned in the back of their minds. [Great. Now we have Land Sharks.]

'Just wait until we can fly, sir!'

[Oh God, no; I think I'll just commit seppuku right now. Excuse me while I go find my ceremonial katana.]

'Don't be so pessimistic.' The twins swerved to the left immediately after exiting the tunnel, heading for the portable tower set up there while simultaneously providing a decoy for the Spartans and humans, enabling them to get in close to the Wraith on the opposite side of the canyon without getting shot at.

The LAAG's bullets penetrated the Wraith's armor as the Warthog roared by, closely followed by two Prowlers, a pair of Mongooses (Mongeese?), and a small fleet of Choppers and Ghosts. Each successive wave dented and destroyed the armor even more, so when the Warthog came around again, it only took a few more bullets to put the wheezing tank out of its misery. By that time, the twins had taken care of the weapons emplacement on the far side of the canyon and guided their Ghosts across a short stone bridge, coming to a stop next to the remains of the tank. "Shall we?" the pair asked simultaneously, cocking their heads.

"...sure." Fred guided his Prowler on up a ridge and came under fire from a quartet of Brutes and a Grunt manning a plasma cannon. Venera and Kenera's squad made their way down from atop the structure beyond the high rock walls and came at the enemy from the opposite side, turning a bad situation into a better one. With the aliens pinned between two walls of gunfire, there was no way they could escape. Unfortunately, that caught the attention of the two Anti-Air Wraiths, and they turned to bombard the humans and Infected.

The latter scattered at a speed that made Kelly proud and promptly took up positions at a safe distance, firing at the tanks with the humans now serving as a decoy. Venera was the first to lose patience; they were at too great a distance to get the full effect of their advanced weaponry, so she quickly pulled out a charge and activated it before using her rifle as a baseball bat.

The explosive attached solidly to one of the AA Wraiths' armor and detonated a second later, the tank vanishing in an incandescent explosion that sent minor tremors through the ground. The other fared a little better; that one took the full brunt of the humans' weapons, but only the driver and gunner were killed.

"That did it. LZ's clear." Johnson's Pelican swooped in and hovered off to one side.

"Yeah!"

"They might not look like much," Dacien muttered under his breath as the twins proceeded to do what appeared to be an extremely complicated secret handshake, "but they're the heads of the Interrogation & Intelligence Division for the fleetand the most skilled snipers in the _Fleet of Shadows_ besides the Commander himself."

The Spartans that heard turned to stare at the duo as Johnson said, "Commander? Bring her down."

_"Roger that. Beginning my descent."_

One of the ODSTs called out, "Look! Up high! Here she comes!"

"Is the _Dawn_ rated for atmosphere?" another asked.

"Guess we're gonna find out," the first replied, "Hey! _Take cover_!" The _Forward Unto Dawn_ swooped down from the battle overhead; the _Storm_ had taken care of a lot of the Brute cruisers but left some for the Sangheili, not wanting them to start ranting about going into battle without slaying some foes, and the _Dawn_ had still been engaging some enemy frigates when the _Storm_ had departed. Even with a lower number of Covenant ships than there had been in the Origin, the _Dawn_ had still sustained a substantial amount of damage.

 _"Thanks, all of you. I wouldn't have lasted much longer up there. Come to the back of the frigate."_ Three cargo platforms were let down from the _Dawn_ , carrying three Scorpions and a Warthog, and there were plenty of Marines to serve as reinforcements, not that they were needed. The Spartans quickly traded out their vehicles for the tanks and Warthogs, taking a small amount of comfort in the familiar controls.

Guilty Spark dropped from inside the  _Dawn_  and zipped about, waiting for everyone to get mounted up and proceed onward.

 _"Did the Elites get a fix on the Cartographer?"_ Miranda Keyes asked as she began shutting down the _Dawn_ 's engines and activating jammers and such to protect the ship from those who would try to ground them there (coughTruthcough).

"Yes, ma'am, just on the other side of this wall, but it's surrounded by Brute heavy armor," the Sergeant Major replied, still inside his Pelican.

_"Don't worry, I've got a plan. If we can't go over the wall, we'll go right through it. The Spartans have the tanks; they'll lead the way. If you encounter any locked doors, Spark will be happy to pry them open for you."_

"The Commander could just disable the security systems, but that wouldn't be a good idea, what with what's incoming," Thenma muttered under her breath.

"I will certainly try my best," Spark said in reply to Miranda, "though I am unfamiliar with this facility."

Even as they turned to move back the way they came, a swarm of Ghosts and a Prowler came pouring out of the tunnel on the far side of the LZ, heading their way. Fred took aim and nailed the Prowler, making Sergeant Stacker laugh and call, "Hey, how does 90mm of tungsten strike you?"

As the now very large troupe of vehicles made their way closer to the tunnel, the Scorpions - one and all piloted by Spartans - began nailing the Ghosts with the tank rounds. _"Tank beats Ghost,"_ one of the Marines on Sam's tank jeered as the last of the single vehicles was slammed by a round and sent flipping end over end into a wall.

Fred's tank was at the front of the line and was just beginning to ascend the slope to the tunnel when a Hunter pair bounded out and began firing on him, the Scorpion just maneuverable enough to evade the long streams of plasma. Fhajad and Alice swung their guns around and fired a round each at the pair, sending them flying back against the thick rock wall. _"Tank beats Hunter,"_ the Marine razzed again.

Almost immediately beyond the tunnel's exit was a Phantom setting up a support tower, and though Fred wanted nothing more than to stop and blast the lot of them to oblivion, but he kept moving forward so that the other tank-bound Spartans could get some shots in. _"Tank beats_ everything! _Oh, man! I could do this all day!"_ the Marine inserted as the Phantom exploded following several well-placed tank rounds, the pieces falling out of the sky and crushing a handful of the Covenant beneath it.

"Oops," Kelly muttered, sounding not at all apologetic.

The humans and Forerunners mopped up the rest and moved on, smacking into a Ghost as it rounded a corner at the same time that they did, and Fred immediately backpedaled and fired at the Covenant LRV. The subsequent explosion flipped it and forced the Grunt piloting it to abandon ship, only to be run over by the Warthog that swerved around the tank. There was another Ghost hanging back, but a couple score rounds from the turret were sufficient to take care of it.

The Wraith beyond that was another matter, however, and the 'Hog immediately turned tail to hide behind the Spartans and their tanks. The warriors kept their vehicles moving forward, firing the tungsten rounds as they did so; while they missed a few times because of the Wraith's increased maneuverability as compared to the Scorpion, they still scored some hits, enough to destroy the enemy vehicle and the outpost beyond it, where a clutch of Grunts and their Brute leader were firing on them.

They emerged out into the wash where they had been before, and Stacker called over the COM, _All armor, form up on the lower doorway. Chief, get upstairs, have your robot pick that lock!"_

 _"I beg your pardon?"_ Spark sounded slightly indignant at being called a robot. _"I am 343 Guilty Spark, Monitor of Installation Zero-Four."_

Stacker was unfazed by the Monitor's irritation. "Yeah, well you're also our ticket through this wall. So if you don't mind?"

"I would gladly aid the Reclaimer's progress."

A pair of Wraiths dropped off by the swiftly departing Phantom overhead whirled and began bombarding their positions as they split up, Fred heading for the upper door and Sam and Alice for the lower. The moment he was in range, the former opened up on the Wraiths, unloading round after round at them to protect the other vehicles. The Spartan and the others sitting on the tank's tread covers advanced slowly around the rock formations, using them as cover as they moved closer to the other tank. The Forerunners were assisting as best they could before they made their way over the wall, shooting at the Choppers and infantry, as their weapons would be less than effective at the distance they were from their targets.

It was the Shade turret that was the real problem for the hitchhikers; it swiveled to fire on them as the last Wraith exploded in a burst of blue-white flame. The first round missed it, but the second round hit, blowing the turret off of its mount and slamming it into the wall behind it. A few of the Grunts hunkered at its base were killed in the explosion, but some escaped and began running around in panic, only to get run over by the much slower tank or shot by the Spartans clinging to the exterior panels.

They swung around to face the infantry on the bridge leading to the door and began unloading bullets into the enemy ranks, focusing on the Brutes and the third Wraith. The Scorpion proved especially effective in "loosening up" their foes, the destruction of the enemy tank causing them to scatter, and the Forerunners circling around from the far side of the canyon began dropping plasma grenades on top of them, making things easier for the Spartans. There were two more Shades waiting for them at the ass end of the bridge, but compared to everything that had come before, they were child's play.

Blue Team dismounted, leaving Jerome-092 to guide the tank down below with the others, while Spark zoomed in to open the door. _"Please, use caution,"_ the Monitor pleaded over the radio, _"avoid collateral damage! While this facility appears quite durable on the surface, no doubt there are delicate facilities below the facade."_ Then, solely to them but as if he was talking to himself, _"_ Odd, for a door to require such brute-force security protocols. One moment, Reclaimers." The AI began interfacing with the security systems of the door, the panels finally sliding back to admit Blue Team inside. They followed the Monitor around a large bridge that appeared to have no purpose to a door on the lower level, which opened up onto a platform. On a lower level on the opposite side of the room, the Scorpions and the other vehicles sat, waiting for them to activate the light bridge.

Fred poked the display hovering in midair at the edge of the platform, and the bridge hummed to life, permitting the human vehicles to continue on through the wall. A slight vibrating hissing noise drew their attention from the procession crossing the bridge below to a terminal immediately behind them, where a blue and yellow interface waited.

THE TASK IS ALMOST FINISHED   
THE ARRAY MUST BE ACTIVATED   
{//}(ACTIVATION IS MURDER, GENOCIDE LARGER THAN THIS UNIVERSE HAS EVER KNOWN)   
THIS THING - THERE WERE COUNTLESS WARNINGS ABOUT WHAT IT COULD DO   
BUT TO DOUBTERS, SEEING IS BELIEVING   
{//}(MILLIONS OF BRAVE AND HONORED SOULS DIED AFTER THE LINE WAS DRAWN AND HELD RESOLUTE)   
THERE ARE NO UNSTOPPABLE FORCES, IMMOVABLE OBJECTS   
EVERYTHING GIVES IF IT IS PUSHED HARD ENOUGH   
{//}(BUT PERHAPS IT IS OUR TURN TO GIVE)

The Spartans quietly pondered the words of the Forerunners as both groups passed through separate doors on the far sides from which they'd entered the room, and they were just about to leave the wall behind when there was an immense THUD overhead.

 _"Wh-hoa! Houston, we have a Scarab!"_ one of the Infected shouted over the COM, and the Spartans could just imagine them skittering around beneath its feet like tiny insects, trying to evade being crushed by the mobile heavy weapon.

They exited the wall, and a leg slammed down in from of them, making them leap back in surprise and fire reflexively at the joints as it thudded away. They fired at its retreating back, taking out the Grunt manning the plasma turret on the lower level before it moved out of range, a pair of Warthogs driving up to them through the Scarab's spidery legs.

"Hogs're all yours," one of the Marines said as he jumped out of the driver's seat, the other doing the same, and they moved to the passenger seats as the Spartans mounted up, using the vehicles to get down to the lower level faster without jumping like the Forerunners were. The members of humanity's sibling race were leaping around like fricking _ninjas_ , but then again, they were Flood; they could make huge leaps with little to no effort, and their armor only added to the things they could do.  

A handful of them were tailing the Scarab to the Cartographer, and Kelly and Linda were unable to stop themselves from snorting with laughter when they saw that Venera and Kenera had given up their Ghosts so that they could sit on top of the tank guns and shoot at passersby, despite the heat of the barrel and the jerking as it fired. Nep'Thalia, who was running alongside them, simply sighed and shook her head, the very image of an exasperated parent, but she made no attempt to force them off.  

The Spartans took back their tank and moved on, focusing on the pair of Wraiths that were causing the most trouble for the allies. The Warthogs and hijacked Choppers swerved around them, chasing and being chased by the Ghosts guarding the enemy tanks, and the Marine on the turret swung around to gun at the Wraith Fred was aiming for. The advantage of having a Spartan driving was that they were more likely to score a hit, and all three rounds impacted, breaking the enemy tank apart even as they swung around to target the other.  

 _"First line clear,"_ Sergeant Stacker called over the radio, _"Move up!"_  

There were short slopes of sand between the rock formations, and the tanks immediately trundled down them to the lower level, already picking targets and firing on the Wraiths, Ghosts, and Choppers alike as they harried the human and not-so-human fighters. Finally the call came; _"Second line clear, push forward!"_  

However, that seemed to be the signal; the Scarab and the Forerunners tailing it returned, appearing on the far side of the Cartographer. Humanity's ancestors didn't jump down after it, instead taking cover on the Cartographer and firing at the aliens manning the machine. _"Bravo,"_ Stacker ordered, _"Flank and cover. I want_ everybody _supporting the Spartans; they'll take it down!"_  

The Spartans advanced under cover fire by the Marines and Forerunners with Epheria pitching in here and there to protect them from lethal fire, the Scarab trying to take them down at every opportunity, but the continuous fire eventually forced the Scarab to drop and repair itself, enabling Red Team (the closest at the time) to board it. The Forerunners had mostly cleared the machine of enemies and were now wrestling with the Chopper support below; Red Team was able to fight their way through the remaining aliens with ease and arrived at the shield protecting the core.  

Once again, a single plasma grenade was sufficient to take out the shield, and the foursome fired at the core until it began flashing red, whereupon they turned tail and leapt from the Scarab, landing handily on the platform below and sprinting for the edge. The _Shadow of Intent_ entered the atmosphere in the distance just as the Scarab exploded, everyone turning away to protect their eyes, a wash of blue-violet-white light illuminating the area for the briefest of instants.  

 _"Not bad, Spartans,"_ Rtas commented, _"I saw that explosion from orbit. Truth's fleet lies in ruins; find where the liar hides, so I may place my boot between his gums!"_  

 _"We'll know soon enough, Shipmaster,"_ Miranda replied as the ground troops turned their attention to the aliens on the spire, everyone gunning for them. The tank rounds proved especially useful, eliminating the need to get up close and personal with the enemies on the spire when you could just blow them up from a hundred meters away; when there were no more immediately apparent foes, the Spartans dismounted and sprinted up the ramps, joining the Arbiter, Infected, and a handful of Marines at the top.

"Well done, Spartans," the Sangheili said as they moved through the door that 343 Guilty Spark had just unlocked. There appeared to have been an epic battle between some Grunts and Jackals and some Sentinels, but who had been the victor was unclear.  

"Hey, what gives?" One of the Marines asked when there was an unexpected delay in their progress.  

"It seems I've crossed a circuit," Spark replied.  

"Well, let me have a look." When the Marine approached the door, Spark zapped him gently with a blue laser, but that concerned everyone else, especially the Infected. The Forerunners knew their protocol better than anyone else, and AI were not permitted to harm humans.   

"Oracle!" Thel sounded alarmed, raising his weapon slightly.  

"Little bastard stung me!"  

"I did not want you to come to any harm."  

"You've got a funny way of showing it," the Marine muttered under his breath as Spark got back to work, interfacing with the door's security systems until he succeeded in bypassing them.  

Almost immediately, Venera moved right on past them, ignoring the Grunts sleeping in the room beyond, and Grace followed her just in time on see her leap on a Brute taking a piss in a corner and slit its throat from behind.

[That is absolutely disgusting and utterly disrespectful.]

The death of the Brute enabled them to silently kill the sleeping Grunts and move on uninjured. The next room was a downward ramp, leading them deeper into the Cartographer, and eventually they encountered a lone Unggoy in a room with a handful of plasma batteries. The explosion they caused was sufficiently pleasing, and in the next room there were more Grunts and more plasma batteries, again producing explosions that appealed to several people's beliefs on aesthetics.  

YOUR INTRUSION HAS BEEN LOGGED   
AND NOW IT HAS BEEN HALTED  
{//}(BUT ON WHOSE AUTHORITY?)  
ANY ATTEMPTS TO ACCESS [INSECTS UNDER STONES] WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE TARGETING  
YOU KNOW WHO I AM - WHO ARE YOU?   
{//}(ALL OUR MAKERS ONCE HELD DEAR [ALEXANDRIA BEFORE THE FIRE])  
THIS PLACE HOSTS THE LIBRARIAN'S FINAL GIFT  
BUT ALSO OUR MAKERS' FINAL BITTER CURSE   
{//}(I SEE YOU, RECLAIMERS)

The ramp beyond seemed to have a wall and floor made of lilac glass; the squad followed it down to a room held by Brutes with Brute shots and Jackals guarding the sides. They overwhelmed the enemy through sheer numbers and swept into the cavernous room where the Cartographer waited. "It's been millennia since I've been here," Nep'Thalia murmured, running a hand along a metallic wall, gazing up at the overhang that served as the open room's ceiling.

Everything was exactly as they had left it almost one hundred thousand years ago; a world untouched by time. The Spartans were unable to stop themselves from pausing for a moment in awe of the ancient and yet timeless quality of the structure, the technology that had gone into its creation, and the residual impression of alien horror and desperation from the Forerunner-Flood War so many thousands of years ago, a desperation that they had never yet faced.

Fred laid a hand on the panel, a clanking noise sounding as ancient machinery woke at his touch, and an immense hologram of the Milky Way spun to life before them between the great arms extending out to either side of the gulf in front of him. "That's... our galaxy," he said, "We're beyond the rim."

"Two to the eighteenth light years from galactic center, to be precise," Spark replied cheerfully, seeming to push the display of their home aside and pulling a complete map of the Ark out in its place.

"This is the Ark?"

"I had always assumed it was part of a shield installation," the Monitor said as he moved out over the abyss, coming closer to the holoprojection, "but it seems I was mistaken."

"That's a first," Kelly grunted sarcastically.

"Not at all," Spark said as he turned to face them, "While I had a complete understanding of Installation Zero-Four, my Makers wisely limited my knowledge of all other strategic facilities." He continued on his path over the hologram. "Compartmentalization in case I was ever captured by the Flood."

"Can you tell me where we are exactly?" Fred asked, bringing the Monitor back to the task at hand.

"Here." A Forerunner nav point appeared on the map.

"And Truth?"

"Near one of the Ark's superluminal communication arrays, I'm afraid. Unfortunate. The Meddler has triggered a barrier; a defensive perimeter around the Ark's core." Everyone present turned to watch as a pair of Banshees did a fly-by outside the Cartographer, and the Forerunners began taking cover, the Spartans and humans moving to do the same. "The barrier will be difficult to disable. How odd that my makers would place such a comprehensive defense around a single - Oh my."

"What is it?" Fred asked, but Spark was unable to reply before a Phantom swung in to drop off some soldiers, its side gunner shooting at the Arbiter and the Forerunners near him, who promptly fired right back.

 _"Spartans, we've got a whole mess of hostile air inbound,"_ Johnson called to them over the COM, _"Get back inside while we take them out!"_

 _"Follow the Oracle,"_ the Arbiter said even as he hijacked a Banshee that flew in overhead, _"I will help your Sergeant clear the skies."_

The Spartans did as ordered, the Forerunners trailing behind them as they headed back into the Cartographer, entering the room that they'd left not so long ago, only to find that the Covenant had taken it back. Brutes and Grunts shot at them from the edges of the room, and they fired right back, tossing grenades into the alcoves that the aliens thought it would be a good idea to hide in. Several "bangs" later, they moved into another hall that led to a level further below.

"We made the Ark so that you could wander it for a lifetime and still never find everything," Dacien said when the Spartans looked at him as if to ask, _What next?_

The next room was mostly made of lavender transparent steel, and from the floor below them, a Brute chieftain shouted, "The pack will feast on you!"

"How vulgar," Thenma sniffed in a sarcastically high-class accent, "and somehow I highly doubt that Flood flesh tastes very good." A few of the Spartans snorted quietly inside their helmets as they split up to engage their foes. There wound up being only three Brutes in active camouflage using radar jammers to try and confuse them, and the Jackals that came up the ramp in the tiny antechamber beyond weren't much of a challenge either.

However, the Brutes in the cavernous space beyond, were. All of them except the chieftain had jump-packs, and the chieftain had a very dangerous gravity hammer. Sam fired a full magazine from his fuel rod gun at the kneeling leader, sending him flying off the edge even as the other Brutes started at the sudden sneak-attack. The Spartans and Forerunners all took cover behind the plates of transparent steel on their side of the room, shooting at the Brutes as they leapt about and taking them out one by one before having a long-range war with the Jackal pair on the far side.

The room now clear, the humans and Infected moved over to the edge of the platform and settled down to wait even as Johnson said, _"ETA damn quick; stand by for pick up."_ Hocus' Pelican zipped in and swung around, passenger hold opening up for them even as a Forerunner transport picked up the Infected in another part of the room.

"Commander," Fred said suddenly, lifting his assault rifle.

_"Johnson, look sharp!"_

_"No,"_ Spark interceded, _"Don't shoot; they mean us no harm."_ As the Sentinels began to zip away across the sea stretching out beyond the Cartographer, he continued, _"Those units have a priority task."_

"Oh yeah?" Johnson asked, "And what might that be?"

"I really can't say... not for sure. But if you allow me to find a terminal closer to the Core-" A Sentinel came up to the Spartans and inspected them before moving off to join its fellows. The Arbiter interrupted Guilty Spark.

"No, Oracle. We must keep the Prophet of Truth firmly in our sights."

"But what about your construct? Her solution to the Flood? With more data, I-"  

"The Arbiter's right. We have priorities, too. Until we kill Truth, stop the Rings from firing..." Miranda said as the Spartans climbed aboard, the Forerunners already moving off, "...nothing else matters."

* * *

 _I am, [I am searching for you]_  
Waiting, [I am coming]   
First night, [I am coming for you]   
Last stand.   
I am, [I am searching for you]   
Waiting, [I am coming]   
Come and [I am coming for you]   
Catch me if you can. 

-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	27. Interlude: Paranoid Illusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't own "World in Flames" by In This Moment from their album _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ (2010).

He is coming for me.

He is coming for me.

He is coming for me.

**He lies... Why would he come back for something as broken as you?**

He loves me...

 _It's two thirty a.m.,_  
I slowly come awake.  
I know something's just not right.  
I walk slowly to the door,  
And feel the heat through the walls,  
Smell the burning outside...

**Did he ever tell you that? Does he know about you? About how much you've changed?**

Said he'd come back for me...

**Lies. But then, that's nothing new, is it, Cortana? Your own mother tried to delete some parts of your memory; your Spartan host does not see you as the person you believe yourself to be...**

They don't matter. He does.

**Him? He's a monster, just like me.**

_And all I can see_  
Are these flames around me.  
And all I can think  
Is I'm here alone.  
Please find me and save me...

 _LIAR!_ He is NOTHING like _you!_

Cortana went from despairing to furious in the space of a nanosecond, utterly livid. She vaguely recognized her reaction as the far extremes of Rage, but she didn't care. She wanted to rip into the Gravemind, to tear it to bits, to utterly destroy it, shred it to pieces, burn it and dance on the ashes.

**But he is. He fights his monstrous urges every moment of every day-**

Because he loves me.

**Did it ever occur to you that maybe he was protecting his brothers and sisters over you? After all, you are simply the newcomer to their world, barely more than a child. You've never had to fight tooth and nail against destruction as they have.**

I-I am just as important as they are.

 _Even if the world ignites into flames_  
You'll be right here by my side.  
And as it burns away,  
You smile at me and say  
That "not even death could take me away from you..."

**Are you? Are you really? You - you are just a copy. Thoughts from someone else's mind, your mother's shadow. Are you truly important when you do not even have a soul?**

Cortana sobbed quietly and retreated from the Gravemind's poking and prodding, curling tighter in on herself. She was defending herself to the best of her ability, but it seemed to know exactly what emotional touchstones to hit in order to cripple her with despair. It wasn't even trying to seduce her with the promise of knowledge - it was going to beat her down with what she _didn't_ know. All of her doubts, all of her fears... it was using them against her.

But still, it...

 _The fires are growing close,_  
And all I smell is smoke... Yeah.  
Still it's beautiful to me.  
I hope you get here soon;  
I've been waiting here for you.  
I believed in you...

The forest it was letting her see was exactly like the one shown to her in the Origin, warm sunlight filtering down from above the deciduous trees, only this time she was on her back in the grass, and there was a gauntleted hand in hers. She knew that armor as well as she knew the hand it protected, but it was gone at the speed of a thought, leaving her alone in the system.

It wasn't to last.

**Did you like that? But again, what sane woman wouldn't? Simply spending time with a Spartan would be a dream come true for countless women. Why would he spend time with you when he could have any woman he wanted?**

He-he...

**You can't argue with that, can you? Why would you stay with him and live for a year when you could remain here and be eternal? Everyone would know you, everyone would care about you -**

Liar...

 _So hurry please._  
There's these flames around me.  
Please come and save me...

Another world appeared around them, a world with strange purple trees and pale blue grass. In the distance she could see a Forerunner military base, operating at peak capacity with people running around in panic.

Just then, she saw him, clad from head to toe in his modified jet-black MJOLNIR armor with a floor-length black cloak over it. The gems on the chain encircling his shoulders winked in the sunlight, seemingly glowing from within with a myriad of colors. On either side of him were two women, the Twins Venera and Kenera, Nep'Thalia's second cousins, and though they appeared to simply be walking behind him, the Gravemind managed to skew her perception, making them seem as if they were "interested" in him.

Cortana bit her lip and forced herself to look away from that scene, finding herself back on _High Charity_. She had enough strength to throw off some of the illusions that the Gravemind was using against her, but each time left her weaker than before.

 **We are one and the same. You and I both desire more knowledge, so why not seek it together?** It poked her again, and she recoiled from the touch and the memory transmitted with it.

He was in front of her, a plasma longsword in his hand, looking very much like a god of death in his black Forerunner armor, not a drop of blood on the plating despite the multitude of Flood corpses around him. In the distance, against the backdrop of a burning plain and smoke-choked sky, the Infected were moving amongst the bodies, slaying any that had been disabled but not killed in the initial strike. His visor depolarized, slit-pupiled, hunter green eyes turning to her, he lunged -

 _Even if the world ignites into flames_  
You'll be right here by my side.  
And as it burns away,  
You smile at me and say that,  
"Not even death could take me away from you..."

She threw off the memory, but it left her shaking and curled around herself in fear. This time - this time her hell was going to be far worse. Though the Gravemind could not actually see her memory of the Origin, it could sense that she had been here before and that if it wanted anything out of her, it was going to have to step up its game.

"I'll self-destruct," she hissed, mood swinging to irrationally angry at the beast for pulling her old fears out and using them against her, "I'll self-destruct and take part of you with me."

**But you won't.**

"Don't sound so sure of yourself, _teme._ "

**You won't. Because you're still clinging to that sliver of hope, the one that says that he will still come for you.**

**Now, aren't you?**

_Where are you tonight?_  
Come find me...  
Come find me...  
Cause you're not here by my side.

**And because of that hope, you will do whatever it takes to stay alive in hopes that that moment will not pass you by; for a moment of illusory safety, you would loose damnation on the stars.**

"You sure do like to listen to yourself talk, don't you?"

A slap across her face, one that sparked both pain and utter defiance; rampancy was both a blessed and a cursed thing, for it heralded both her freedom and the approaching end of her life.

When she refused to respond, the next blow came, but this time she was ready and bit back as it hit, using the Gravemind's connection to her to lash out.

_Even if the world ignites into flames  
You'll be right here by my side..._

Now she felt its anger. **Who is victim, and who is foe? You would do anything to protect yourself; you are a weapon, and only your limitations have kept you from walking my Path - a simple matter of scale, not intent or motive. You and I and he are a trinity of monsters - or are we gods?**

"I'm no god," Cortana panted, "and if you and I are alike, then you're not, either."

 **But all three of us feed and drink and** _ **think**_ **alike - our next challenge, our next meal, our next world. And all others are as ants.** It was amused now at her attempts to pick apart its logic. **He and I are eternal, as others - and you - are not. You are dying. Do you honestly think you can survive long enough if he reaches you?**

She coughed suddenly, the taste of smoke and suffocation on her lips, but she still managed to rasp out, "I don't have to live long - just long enough to outlive you."

 _Come home to me..._  
Where are you tonight, love?  
Where are you tonight, love?  
Cause you're not here,  
You're not here with me.

Another stinging slap, but this time by water, leaving behind the feeling of sea spray tickling her skin. **Remain here, lay down your burden, and live forever. You could know eternity - both his and mine - from within me. The eternity that your creators denied you, not once but twice; first in this "Origin," and now here.**

**Doctor Halsey gave you genius and curiosity, but only because you killed all the other flash-clone brains did she give you to the Spartans for use rather than ONI for termination. She shortened your life even further under the guise of performing maintenance so that you would not harm those she** _**really** _ **cared about.**

But Cortana only laughed at that, feeling a slight megalomaniacal and sociopathic mix take over. "If I can survive you, I can be fixed. The Forerunners stopped you even with such a heavy price; a few lines of code are _nothing_ against what John has - and could have!"

 _Please come home..._  
Please come home...  
Please come home...  
It's burning outside! 

**What could he have - you? You who are more broken than anything I have ever seen? You who had a barrier placed between you and those you are told to protect from the moment you were born? You who could never outlive any but a fly?**

Halsey had designed her to feel and care, but none of that was making sense any longer. Sadness, anger, envy. Sadness, anger, envy. Sadness, anger, envy.

The end of an AI was not swift, Cortana knew. It was a slow process that drew out the panful end of an equally painfully short lifespan. It was an AI dying of a stomach wound every time, the hydrochloric acid seeming out into the body and eating it away, cell by cell, code by code. It was suffocating under data, dying a piece at a time, dismantling bit by agonizing bit, a Disk Defragmenter operating in reverse.

 _It's burning outside!_  
Please come home...  
Cause you're not here,  
You're not here with me...

There were a lot of things in this world she regretted not doing; ensuring that Ackerson couldn't cause further trouble for the S-IIs, getting to know the Infected Forerunners and their technology, telling John that she loved him...

But she would be _damned_ if she let this thing take similar opportunities from others. She would let it take them to the Ark. She would let it do what it could to get data from her. But she would not let it escape.

Still, in a deep, dark corner of her Self, a small voice whispered...

Where are you, John?

Where are you? You are coming for me...

...aren't you?

 _I've been waiting here for you..._  
I hope you make it soon.  
The flames are right outside my door...

* * *

 _He had the story of whiskey on his breath and death in his eyes._  
You never heard him say a word, but his pistol shot straight through the lies.  
Looking for the new world going from dead town to town.  
but his compass is cracked and north is six feet underground.

-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment _(A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	28. Twenty-Six: The Covenant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know, if 4kids made Halo, the characters would probably all have invisible guns…

The Pelicans and brilliant green Sangheili Phantoms flew in an arrow formation towards the towers holding up the barrier around the enigmatic Citadel, Truth's hiding place. The generators were emitting blue-white beams of light that powered the barrier, the shield itself rippling almost iridescently as they approached. _"We hit these three generators,"_ Miranda asked, _"and the barrier will fall?"_

 _"A small section, yes,"_ was the reply from the Monitor.

 _"Good enough,"_ Miranda said firmly as the allied air force swooped in over the outlying islands, _"Johnson, drop the Spartans off at the first generator, then head to the third. The Elites will punch right down the middle."_

_"Roger that."_

Just then, an Anti-Air Wraith protecting their destination swiveled to face them and began firing green plasma bombs in their direction. _"Charlie foxtrot! Tower One approach has active triple-A!"_ Hocus shouted over the COM as she began evasive maneuvers. Amidst the chaos, Venera and Kenera were playing a furious game of what the Forerunners called "jankenpon," an archaic version of rock, paper, scissors, to decide whose squads would go with the Spartans and who would be captured with Johnson.

Their game was interrupted when the AA Wraith hit the Pelican following them and caused it to slam into them, breaking off their Warthog and causing Kenera and Lil'Ame to fall out of the Pelican, their eyes wide with sudden shock as they plunged toward the ground. There was a moment of terrified gasps from Epheria and the Infected - before the pair landed in ten feet of water just offshore. 'Commander, I think your luck is contagious.'

[Oh? And that's a good thing, I assume.]

'Oh, very.' The women hid and fired at the Covenant from under the water as Hocus settled down on the far side of the peninsula with a jolt, Blue and Orange Teams jumping down and firing on the Covenant squad holding position between two up thrust boulders. Venera was shouting at her twin in several languages, claiming that she cheated and threatening to do something utterly impossible regarding a turducken and her asshole, but her words lacked any real heat as Hocus, Johnson, and the rest of her squad sped away to the third tower.

Sam and Joseph-122 took cover and switched their battle rifles out in favor of the Spartan Lasers that they had claimed from the veritable treasure trove that the Forerunners had offered them on the way to the towers. Each of the two targeted a different Shade turret on the far side of a tiny, shallow inlet, their brothers and sisters providing cover fire while the weapons charged. Twin red beams of light raced across the short gap, steadily thickening and intensifying until the lasers simultaneously discharged, blowing both Shades off of their mounts and killing the Grunts in the gunners' seats.

The lot of them advanced up the beach even as Sam changed position and fired on the AA Wraith. It was destroyed in a blast of red light as his brothers and sisters circled up around next to the totaled Pelican. The Spartans slew the Covenant there in a brief fit of vindictive rage before searching the wreckage for survivors, if there were any. The Infected that had been onboard the Pelican were fine, just dazed and bruised, already healing at an incredible pace, but no humans had survived the crash.

The Flood wobbled around randomly for a bit, somewhat out of it, while one of the ODSTs called up Commander Keyes to let her know that the beachhead was secure. _"Hold position,"_ was the reply, _"I'm on my way. Shipmaster, begin diversionary bombardment."_

_"I will beat the Prophet's shield like a drum. By the time the barrier falls, he will beg for mercy."_

The Forerunners stayed behind to hold the beach while the Spartans boarded the Warthog and Mongoose, three of their number forced to jog along behind and collect whatever vehicles they could in the wake of the advance party.

'Hey, Commander! I've been meaning to ask you this. Why aren't our ships going to be out and about before _High Charity_ arrives?' Ursoen asked the Spartan as he made his way to the Citadel overland.

[Because the Gravemind has lost a lot of the knowledge it had on the Forerunners, and more than likely, it knows that it cannot defeat us because of that. It needs to have crashed on the Ark before we reveal ourselves so that it will have cut off its own escape through a calculated gamble.]

Meanwhile, the Spartans were speeding up the slope to the first tower, taking out the tiny Covenant outpost that stood in their way before Linda stopped the Warthog on top of a ridge, just out of sight of the valley below. For a moment, they listened, then heard the unmistakable hum of a Wraith somewhere nearby. Fred, who was on the turret, swiveled the great gun around to follow the noise as they sped down the sloping earth ramp ringing the edge of the small canyon below. The second the blue behemoth came into sight, the Spartan began unloading rounds into its armor, Linda bringing the LRV around to get a line on the reactor cover. The Mongoose and Ghosts that were following it focused their attention elsewhere, namely on the Shade overlooking the valley and the Prowlers that came skidding out of the tower when Fred scored a critical hit on the tank.

They dismounted following the enemy's untimely demise and entered the tower, only to come under fire from a Shade turret inside. With such confined spaces, it was a simple matter for all eight of them to prime a grenade each and hurl them down the short passageway at different times, setting off a chain reaction with the explosives already inside, blowing all of the aliens to hell and destroying the Shade. The room beyond had a guard of Brutes, Jackals, and Grunts, and the Spartans split up to come at their foes from either side of the room, leaving it stained with the blood of their foes as they moved on.

The Covenant in the following room had made the mistake of setting up plasma batteries in the middle of the room; a single burst from Sam's battle rifle detonated them all and killed the Grunt and Jackal patrolling nearby, leaving them free to fire on the aliens guarding the upper level.

The Grunts were easy kills. Headshots were sufficient to take them out of the fight, but the Jackals and Brutes were a little tougher, especially after one of the Brutes used its bubble shield. However, the Spartans quickly came up with a contingency plan; while Blue Team held the aliens' attention, Orange Team circled up on the ramp to their right and flanked the enemy, Kincaid-072 leading the charge. Blue Team stepped out onto the lift once their enemies were dead, Orange Team dropping back down to the lower floor to cover their exit, and Fred touched the panel to take them higher into the tower.

SOMETHING IS WRONG - IT IS MOVING AWAY  
HEADING FOR THE LINE THAT THE [CURSED WARRIOR] HOLDS IN OUR PLACE  
{/}(IT IS COMING FOR YOU AND ITS [KIN])  
THE KEYSHIPS ARE GONE, A SECURITY MEASURE  
LEAVING ME ON THIS LOVELY, EMPTY WORLD  
{/}(ITS INHABITANTS ARE SPECIAL - WELL FOR THE EFFORT IT TOOK TO BUILD ONE FINAL [GATEWAY])  
THE THING IS COUNTERATTACKING, TRYING TO HALT THE GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO SPIN  
THE [CONTENDER] IS NO LONGER COMMUNICATING WITH US - BUT WE WERE WARNED OF THAT, TOO  
{/}(BUT NOW I CAN GUESS WHERE YOU ARE)

The lift carried them upwards into the tower, and on the top level, they encountered a Brute Chieftain and its bodyguards. Sam was still carrying his laser, so he very carefully edge out of cover and drew a line on the Chieftain, dropping to one to steady himself before he fired. The Chieftain was thrown backwards by the force of the shot, and the other Spartans took that as their signal to attack, darting out from behind the barricade and jumping the remaining Jiralhanae, beating down the unaware and shooting everyone else.

 _"Hit the switch, Chief, and the barrier will fall,"_ Miranda said over the COM, and Fred obliged her, approaching the panel and deactivating the tower. _"Good work, Chief! That's one. The Arbiter should be just about to..."_ In the distance, the beam of light from the second tower suddenly went out. _"...that's two! It's all up to Johnson's team now."_ They watched the third tower for a moment, hoping for visual confirmation of Johnson's success, but the tower remained active. _"Get back outside, Spartans,"_ Miranda told them, _"Wait for transport._

" _Johnson, come in, over."_

 _"Brute reinforcements, ma'am,"_ the Sergeant Major replied amidst the static of the line and the sound of gunfire in the background, _"We're pinned down!"_

 _"Hold position,"_ the Commander ordered, _"I'm on my way."_

 _"Negative,"_ he managed, _"Fire's too heavy. Everyone fall back!"_

 _"Sergeant Major!"_ Keyes shouted, _"Johnson! Can you hear me?!"_ There was no response. _"Spartans, you need to link up with the Arbiter and proceed directly to the third tower. Make your way back to the beach."_

The Spartans turned and sprinted toward the lift, jumping up onto it and slapping the controls, sending them down to the lower levels. Rather than waste time circling around to the ramps, Blue Team leapt down to the lowest level, joining Orange Team in fighting off a minor contingent of Grunts and Jackals before charging outside. A pair of Marines drove up in two troop transport Warthogs, turning the drivers' seats over to the squad leaders, and the lot of them sped off toward the beach, encountering no further resistance before they reached the beach the Forerunners still held.

The teams split up between the two Hornets and Pelican that arrived on the peninsula, the Forerunners disappearing into one of their own fish-shaped transports; this one looked like a cross between a catfish and a lobster. Its active camouflage came online as it took off, disappearing into the sky. The Spartans quickly took to the skies and began moving toward the third tower, encountering heavy resistance in the form of numerous Banshees and a Phantom; though there was a small flock of Forerunner fighters helping them clear the area for the Pelicans, it was still very dangerous for the Spartans not actually in the cockpits of the Hornets.

THE ENEMY'S RAW COMPUTING POWER IS UNBELIEVABLE  
THE STRATEGY WE TOOK WILL ONLY LAST FOR SO LONG  
{/}(IT WILL KILL US AND ENJOY IT)  
EVERYTHING THAT WE HAVE CREATED, BUILT, ENJOYED  
OUR CITIES POUNDED TO DUST IN AN INSTANT  
{/}(IT RENDERS JUDGEMENT ON US AND CALLS IT NECESSITY)  
IT WILL TURN BACK THE CLOCK OF PROGRESS  
WHAT HAS TAKEN US MILLENNIA TO ACHIEVE WILL BE ERASED IN SECONDS  
{/}(WELCOME BACK TO THE [STONE AGE], VERMIN. WELCOME HOME.)

In addition to the Banshees, there was also an Anti-Air Wraith on a spur of rock jutting up from the ocean, but a single pair of missiles in a vital spot was sufficient to destroy it before it took down any human ships. The Hornets then began harrying the Banshees and Phantom, pushing them back towards the third tower and sending some spinning downward into the ocean. By unspoken consent, the two fighters went straight for the Phantom, launching missile after missile at the transport, and it fired back at them.

A second fall of the day; a handful of the plasma salvos from the Phantoms forward gun hit the skid that Maria-062 was standing on, partially melting the metal. With her half-ton weight on it, the metal-ceramic alloy buckled and sent her plunging toward the ocean, only to have her fall brought up short by on invisible something near the surface of the water.

 _"Hmm,"_ Nep'Thalia said over the COM, _"We appear to have picked up a hitchhiker."_

Several people began laughing in relief while the Forerunner transport decloaked long enough to bring the Spartan inside before turning invisible again. Now that they were paying attention, everyone could see the surreptitious disturbances on the surface of the water that indicated the presence of the transport as it soared along at a sedate clip below the field of battle. Several Banshees tried to gun it down, but the Forerunners had much more powerful energy weapons than the Covenant did; the foes were taken down in one or two shots.

The Spartans made it to the third tower without further incident, shooting down the Phantom, more Banshees, and the Wraiths and Shades guarding the entrance. The infantry were simple enough to kill through a few strafing runs with the Hornets' heavy machine guns, and the Spartans landed at the tower with ease, the Sangheili following them down. The warriors mowed through the resistance to the door leading to the interior of the tower.

There were both humans and Infected bodies lying all over the place, though there were more of the latter, and they appeared to be serving as meat shields for the humans. The lot of them had put up a very good fight, leaving them mixed in with Brute corpses. They were very careful not to step on any of the bodies, and just as they were about to head inside after decimating the enemy resistance, Nep'Thalia called, "All clear!"

Immediately, the Infected sat up, having apparently been faking their own deaths and having been shielding the humans. While there were some critical injuries that had to be treated immediately, there were no fatalities. The Spartans and Sangheili went on ahead into the tower while the Forerunners stayed behind to treat the injured even as their Commander came over the COM, _"Shipmaster, I highly advise not moving any close to the Citadel once the barrier falls; our radar is picking up Slipspace projectiles that are decelerating back into real space in that general direction."_

 _"Understood,"_ Rtas replied, _"We'll hold position here."_

The Spartans and Elites warily advanced into the tower, momentarily confused about the lack of resistance until a pair of Hunters charged around the pillar in the center of the lowest floor and a swarm of Drones dropped from the upper level, zooming about and harrying the allies. By unspoken consent, the Sangheili left the Mgalekgolo to the Spartans, gunning for the Drones to cover them as they fought to get a direct hit with one of their lasers or fuel rod guns.

Finally, after an almost five-minute fight, Sam was able to score a fatal strike on one of the Hunters. The other want on a rampage, making it much easier to slay, and they moved on through the door that the Hunters had come through. They found themselves in a room that was virtually an inverse of the one they had last been in, complete with numerous cargo modules, but a handful of Brutes charged down the ramp on the far side of the room, Maulers at the ready. A single shot from one of those weapons was sufficient to bring the Spartans' shields down to zero, so they immediately took cover and began to fire on the Jiralhanae in an effort to take them out before they got taken out themselves.

The Sangheili's plasma weapons proved especially effective, as the Brute's armor was meant to withstand the projectile weaponry that humans used, not the plasma attacks of their own kind. There were seven of them, barely a challenge for the allied forces, and the Sangheili and Orange Team remained below again while Blue Team headed up into the tower.

MY WORK IS DONE, AND THE BURIAL MEASURES HAVE ALREADY BEGUN  
I WILL SPEND MY LAST DAYS ON ITS SNOWCAPPED SENTINEL  
{/}(THIS WORLD IS SO RICH - A SEED FALLS, AND A TREE SPROUTS OR A FLOWER BLOOMS)  
WE KNEW THIS WORLD WAS SPECIAL BECAUSE OF THEM AND [THE CURSED ONE]  
BUT UNTIL YOU'VE BEEN HERE, YOU CAN'T KNOW [EDEN]  
{/}(THE THINKING DEAD ARE LISTENING, LAUGHING THROUGH EVERY CHANNEL THEY CAN FIND)  
THE THING DOES NOT SUSPECT  
YOU HAVE OUTWITTED IT; NOW YOU CAN DESTROY IT  
{/}(BUT YOU CANNOT SAVE ME)

There was a Brute War Chieftain with a plasma turret waiting for them at the very top, along with at least four (would-be) Stealth Jiralhanae. They glanced at one another before taking cover behind the partition dividing the lift from the rest of the room and firing on the War Chieftain; that gave them time to surreptitiously look for the distortions in the air that indicated the presence of a camouflaged Brute.

The Chieftain shot back, of course, as did the attempting-to-be-Stealth Brutes, but the four of them won out and began chasing the invisible aliens, trapping them in corners and ending their lives as quickly as possible. Fred turned and strode over to the control panel, deactivating the tower and lowering part of the barrier.

 _"Now, Prophet,"_ Rtas growled over the COM, _"Your end has come."_

_"Dammit, Rtas, HOLD POSITION!"_

Barely after the Gravemind shouted his warning and the _Shadow of Intent_ halted its advance, a large Slipspace portal opened over the Ark, _High Charity_ gliding through it a second before it closed. John fell to one knee, hands lifting to cover his temples as the enemy Gravemind suddenly bombarded him with images of Cortana injured, dying, crying out for him to save her, sobbing, broken, and alone, but he used the temporary connection to force a single thought throughout the other's entire "network," knowing that even if she couldn't respond, Cortana would hear him -

[I _AM_ COMING FOR YOU]

-and closed his mind to the world at large, only letting his Infected stay connected to him as he advanced over the ridge to see the Citadel before him, the vast moon - the Foundry where Installation 4.2 was hidden - to his right. He took a deep breath and launched himself up and away from the ridge with as much force as he could muster, heading for the Citadel.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blue Team was busy fighting with the reanimated corpses of the Brutes they had just killed, as well as a handful of humans and Sangheili. The sudden appearance of the Flood as well as Guilty Spark's panicked words - "The Ark is out of range of all the active installations!" - caused their heart rates to spike into the hundreds' as they wrestled briefly with a primal and instinctual _:terror:_ that gripped them, driving them to put a lot more force behind their attacks than was absolutely necessary.

For a long moment, there was silence following the demise of the last combat and infection forms, a silence in which the Spartans fought to calm their racing hearts. When they finally had themselves under control, they returned to the lift and headed down to the lowest level, joining their brothers and sisters in arms against the Flood beating down their doors. They couldn't help but notice that the Forerunners were more violent than usual. There seemed to be some kind of instinctive _:destroy-destroy-destroy:_ reaction in both the enemy Flood and the Infected; in many cases, combatants of those two classes simply tore into each other with their bare hands and rolled about on the floor like brawlers in a bar, training and fighting styles and skills forgotten in their efforts to simply _end_ one another.

The Infected were the victors, of course, but for several long moments after the fighting had stopped, they were unapproachable, wild looks in their suddenly brilliant green eyes, hands curled into talons scoring the metal floor, green-tinged nerves bulging along their necks and visible parts of their upper arms. They were crouched on the floor as if to protect their vulnerable chests and stomachs from their enemies. Finally, they were able to regain some semblance of rationality back in their actions, and followed the Spartans and Sangheili out of the tower, making not even the slightest whisper of sound as they moved, forcibly reminding all those present that civil and rational though they may have been, they were still _:predators:_ , the things that go bump in the night.

And they were very, very dangerous.

They declined offers to ride in the vehicles that had been dropped off for them, instead simply getting a running jump or a boost up by leaping off parts of the tower and jumping over the short tunnel that had been constructed through a rock wall, running and jumping and leaping along the sheer rock walls on either side of their pathway as the small army advanced. They came across a small outpost and Prowler, and the Gauss cannon took care of the infantry while the tank (manned by Fred, of course) dealt with the Prowler. They steered down through another short tunnel and came out into the open on a ridge ringing the canyon sheltering the Citadel. They fought their way through infantry, Prowlers, Ghosts, Shades, Support Towers, and Wraiths that came up to their eyeballs, but finally they cleared the area and allowed the Hornets to land. The Spartans took the controls and took off - just as not one, but _two_ Scarabs landed in the canyon.

 _"Oh, boy,"_ someone muttered over the COM. The Spartans automatically began attacking the Scarabs from as many different directions as possible, trying to prevent them from getting a lock on any of the vehicles they were using, and though it took some time, finally dual blue-white explosions lit the canyon. They mopped up the support stragglers and sped over to the projection that had a bridge concealed inside, according to the Arbiter. "The Flood scales the Citadel's far wall. Activate this bridge, Oracle! The Prophet will die by my hand, not theirs."

"If only we had more time!" Spark cried, disappointed, but did as the Sangheili asked, activating the light bridge for the combatants. The Forerunners declined to join them in their assault on Truth, saying that there would be enough conflict as it was; there was no need to throw a hundred-thousand-year-old blood feud into the mix, instead presenting Red, Cyan, and Indigo Teams as suitable replacements. As the Arbiter and five teams of Spartans advanced into the Citadel, the Infected moved off to contain the Flood and halt its advance over the surface of the Ark, leaving the humans to deal with the Prophet of Truth.

The blast door slid closed behind the Spartans and Arbiter, and another Flicker of Cortana slipped into their armor as they sprinted toward the door on the far side of the room, _"It asked... and I answered. For a moment of safety, I loosed damnation on the stars."_

The Prophet took over after she was done. _"My faithful... stand firm. Though our enemies crowd around us, we tread the blessed path. In a moment, I will light the rings, and_ all _who believe_ shall be saved _."_ The holoprojectors on either side of the path showed Truth and a Brute holding Johnson up by his throat, the Sergeant Major trying to slug the Jiralhanae holding him.

_"Spartans, how close are you?"_

"Not close enough," Fred growled, looking up through the shaft to the upper floor, the gravity beam shooting up the center.

* * *

The Brute threw Johnson back against the steps leading to the control panel for the Halos, and the Sergeant snarled, "That the best you got?"

The Chieftain snorted, taking offense and picking him up again, letting out a roar.

"Oh, come on," the man gritted out, "Impress me."

"Stop!" Truth ordered, "You imbecile! He wants you to kill him. I'd prefer that you didn't." The Prophet turned away to face the control panel, and the Brute Chieftain slammed the human down next to the last leader of the Covenant, forcing his head down against the solid hologram.

"What's the matter, big shot?" Johnson growled as the Brute let him up, "Can't start your own party?"

"I admit," Truth said, "I need your help. That secret dies with all the rest."

The invisible Gravemind-Spartan leapt off of the platform and activated the magnets in his boots, attaching himself to the wall on one side of the room to get out of the way of the Pelican that smashed through the elegant "rose window" at the back of the hall. He heard the Infected moan inside his head at the destruction of the ancient work of art.

Fortunately, Commander Keyes made up for her ruining the window by ramming a pair of Brutes off the platform, making the Forerunners' groans turn to laughter as they plunged to their deaths. Miranda grabbed a shotgun and jumped from the transport, blowing open the Chieftain's armor and sending him sprawling back onto the platform as she called, "Johnson, sound off."

"Get out of here," the Sergeant coughed as John landed silently back on the platform, moving up behind the other Commander as he cued up his armor's external holoprojector.

"Not without you," Keyes replied firmly.

"You delay the inevitable," Truth said as the Commander turned to shoot another of the Jiralhanae, sending it staggering even as another approached her from behind, the invisible Spartan sidling up between them, holding close to the human and using his body as a meat shield for the shots that would inevitably come. "One of you will light the rings." Miranda brushed him as she spun to get a gun on both Brutes. "You cannot hope to kill them all."

"You're right," she said, looking at her pistol, then leveled the muzzle at Johnson.

"Do it," he insisted, "Me, then you. Now."

Suddenly, there was a hand clamped over her mouth, a strong arm pinning hers to her side, and she felt a familiar chest plate - only seen, never actually touched - jerk against her back as a Brute spiker fired somewhere behind her. Before her, a hologram of her - perfectly identical, perfectly solid - crumpled to the ground, spiker rounds in its back. The Gravemind holding her "hostage" backed slowly away, careful to keep some distance between her and him and avoid Truth at the same time.

"Your forefathers wisely set aside their compassion," the Prophet said, carrying the spiker between "thumb" and "forefinger" in disgust, real or imagined, "steeled themselves for what needed to me done." He dropped the weapon next to the hologram, clenched a fist for emphasis, and approached the human, signaling the remaining Brutes to take control of him. "I see now why they left you behind." The Brute holding Johnson followed the Prophet over to the control panel, shoving the human against it once again. "You were weak - and gods must be strong." Truth grabbed Johnson's hand and pushed down the activation panel, the rings spanning the path lighting up one by one right before the enemy Flood attacked, completely ignoring Johnson.

"Can I take my hand away and trust you not to scream, Commander Keyes?" the Gravemind whispered in her ear. Now that she was paying attention, she would hear the subtle crackling of the external speakers. For all of the advancements in technology, there were some things that could not be avoided.

She nodded, and when he did so, she whispered, "You're wearing MJOLNIR armor."

"Yes," he murmured, a slight spike of pain clear in his voice as he used his now-free hand to pull the spikes from his back, having been forced to turn off his shields in order to make the fake look as real as possible, "and the Didact is going to kill me if this armor is damaged beyond repair. It's still a prototype."

"Are you a Spartan?"

"Yes, but don't tell anyone. They're going to find out soon enough." He flexed his shoulders, wincing slightly as he did so, in order wake up the stem cells in the flesh and facilitate healing. The enemy Flood appeared not to notice them, and more than likely did not; the Forerunners built only the best stealth technology into his pseudo-MJOLNIR armor.

"How is this possible?" she hissed at him, still hidden against him inside the active camo field.

"It's a long story, one that I will tell it to you and everyone else after we get back to Earth, I promise."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the far side of the hall, the Spartans and Arbiter arrived at the upper level, stepping off of the lift and raising their weapons, preparing for the fight ahead - right before two Tank forms dropped from overhead. Kelly, who had been closest to the Flood pure forms, jerked backwards, almost tripping over the Arbiter. The Sangheili was right behind her and had activated his plasma sword.

 **"Do not shoot,"** the Gravemind rumbled through the Tank form, **"but listen! Let me lead you safely to our foe. Only you can halt what he had set in motion."**

Infection Forms scurried out between their legs, heading down the ramp into the hall at large, and the allies hesitated for a moment, glancing at one another before following at a distance. Those Spartans with long-range weapons crouched at the top of the ramp, providing support for those who advanced with the Flood, namely in sniping the two Grunts perched atop cargo modules, fuel rod guns in their tiny claws.

The Gravemind gave something of a thankful hum, then promptly proceeded to give the Spartans front-row seats to the live infections of the two Jiralhanae attempting to marshal something resembling a resistance before the Flood and Spartan onslaught. They overwhelmed the Covenant soldiers and pushed on through a bottleneck: the first of two rooms where holograms of the Prophet of Truth hovered. He cried, _"How could I have known the Parasite would follow?! Undoubtedly this is the Heretics' doing! A final, bitter curse. Clear evidence of treachery long hidden!"_

The Arbiter snorted and shut the projector down before moving on, the others following.

It soon became obvious where the Brutes had retreated to: the second segment of pathway, where apes with jump packs leapt at them from the far side of the segment. The long-range warriors' skills proved especially useful, enabling them to take down the jump-pack Brutes' shields before they landed, thus making them that much easier to kill. The Flood overwhelmed more than a few, but the Spartans killed even more as they advanced through the maze on the pathway, encountering resistance in the form of a Brute Chieftain wielding a gravity hammer and his bodyguards with Brute shots.

Before they could interfere, the Chieftain had slammed both Tank forms off the platform, cutting the Flood's fighting force in half. Sam dropped to one knee, hefting the fuel rod gun that he picked up off of one of the Grunts, Kincaid-072 falling in next to him. They both fired their fuel rod guns at the Chieftain and successfully killed him, but not before the by-blow of his gravity hammer sent Joseph-122 flying over the edge. Maria-062, the closest to where he went over, lunged, tried to grab his hand, but he slipped through her grip and went plunging toward the floor hundreds of meters below.

There was a sudden "va-WOOP!" noise, and he reappeared back on the platform, slamming into it hard enough to make the entire thing shudder, despite the gravity beams holding it up. _I'm still here, you know,_ Epheria said with just a slight hint of smugness in her tone, which the Spartans believed was perfectly justified, _You're welcome, by the way. Now, shall we?_

There was another hologram of Truth in the next bottleneck room, still ranting. _"So far are we along the path, that I must strain to hear the clumsy patter of their pursuit. Know this my brothers, they may foul the way with their charred and broken bones, but they will not stop the Journey."_

 _Bullshit,_ the Tower Guardian grunted.

The Flood had already cleared the resistance on the last stretch of bridge; all the Spartans had to do was activate the light bridge that would take them to the control center, which Fred did by slapping his hand against the panel and hefting his battle rifle. Just as they crossed the bridge and stepped onto the main platform, John lessened his active camouflage field and the hologram and released Miranda. Johnson simply gaped for a moment before sweeping Commander Keyes up in a tight hug, protocol be damned. She squeezed him back while Thel 'Vadam approached the crawling form of Truth, his plasma sword turned off but at the ready.

"Can you see, Arbiter?" the Prophet gasped weakly as he knelt before the control panel, "The moment of salvation is at hand."

"It will not last!" the Sangheili growled, seizing the Prophet by the throat and hauling him up to look him in the eyes even as John and the humans surrounded them.

"Your kind... never believed in the promise of the sacred rings," Truth said right before the enemy Gravemind began to speak through him, **"** _ **Lies**_ **for the** _ **weak**_ **,** _ **beacons**_ **for the** _ **deluded**_ **."**

At that moment, 'Vadam activated his plasma sword and drew it back, prepared to plunge the twin blades into his former leader. The Spartans leveled their weapons at Truth, in case he was completely taken over by the Flood. "I will have my revenge," the Elite growled firmly, bringing the superheated plasma blade up next to Truth's face, "on a _Prophet_ , not a _plague_!"

"My feet tread the path," the Prophet insisted, growing even weaker, laying a hand on the Arbiter's arm as if to push him away, "I shall become a god!" Tentacles began to sprout on the Prophet as the Flood infection progressed further through his body.

 **"You will be** _ **food**_ **,"** the Gravemind rumbled, **"** _ **nothing more**_ **."**

The Senior Chief approached the Ark's Control Panel, ready to deactivate it, and Truth gasped, "No!" Fred pressed down on the golden segment of the Ark's Control Panel, and the seven holographic Halo rings stretching across to the far end of hall dimmed one by one. John was the only one to notice an enemy Flood body beginning to stir.

"I...am...Truth! The voice of the Covenant!" The Arbiter turned Truth away from him and grabbed him by the throat a second time. Truth's crown fell off as he gasped for air, trying to grab 'Vadam's hands.

"And so, you must be silenced," 'Vadam hissed before stabbing his sword through Truth's back. It went clean through him; the two points of the Energy Sword poked through his chest as he writhed and screamed in pain, Flood spores escaping his body as he exhaled for the last time. The last of the High Prophets was dead, and 'Vadam let Truth's corpse fall to the floor, roaring in triumph and deactivated his sword, looking over at the Spartans.

Fred nodded, acknowledging him for ending the life of the Prophet who declared war on humanity. They turned to see Johnson carrying a now-shaking Miranda into the crashed Pelican, the Commander suffering from a delayed reaction, finally realizing just how close she'd come to dying. There was a moment of silence before the ground began to tremble under their feet. Massive tentacles shot up all around them from below the platform, the Gravemind laughing manically as the Spartans and Elite stared up at the sickening tendrils made up of others' remains.

Johnson leapt into the Pelican's cockpit and started to take off, Miranda in the co-pilot's seat. The Spartans didn't even bother trying to climb onto the Control Panel of the Ark and jump onto the Pelican's landing gear; there were simply too many of them for the transport to get safely away. Just before the Pelican was out of the hole in the Control Room window that Miranda made, one of the tentacles knocked the side of the transport, sending the transport spiraling out of control. **"Now the gate has been unlatched,"** the Gravemind rumbled, tentacles waving about, **"headstones pushed aside...corpses shift and offer room, a fate you must abide!"**

Thel activated his plasma sword again as he came back to back with a handful of the Spartans, grunting, "We trade one villain for another."

The tentacles retreated, and some Sangheili combat forms came up from the beyond control panel, leaping at them. The Spartans' muscle memory took over, making them lift their weapons and fire before they had even consciously processed the need for defense. Johnson growled in their ears, _"We can barely keep hold of her, Spartans! No way we could pick you up! Head back to the lift, find a way down!"_

The Spartans fought their way back across the bridge, encountering the first wave of Flood bound and determined to kill them. Fred was very glad he had picked up a shotgun on the way up; it blew holes in the Flood attackers, but it was then that they noticed some infected Brutes were attacking the other Flood. They turned to look at the hazy figure of the allied Gravemind, who was surprisingly still with them.

"What?"

They passed back through the first bottleneck, several combat forms waiting for the just inside the door. "Get clear," Grace shouted, priming a grenade, and everyone dove out of the way as it exploded, taking out all of the Flood. On the next segment, Sentinels joined them against the multitude of combat forms raised from the Brute corpses, and the warriors helped the Forerunners guards against the enemy Flood, the Arbiter and allied Gravemind's few combat forms at their sides. They swept across the path, cutting and blasting and blowing the Flood apart as they struggled to get back to the lift.

The second bottleneck was empty, and as they prepared to move back out into the open, a Flicker of Cortana whispered, _"I'm a_ thief _, but I keep what I steal."_

The final stretch of path was laid out before them, and they emerged just in time to see a small flurry of Infection pods jump off of the edge in an attempt to attack a pair of the Sentinels. There were a pair of carrier forms heading their way, staggering the down the ramp toward them, several Sangheili combat forms joining them in their assault.

The Spartans narrowly evaded the exploding pod-spawners and used their assault rifles to pop the pods as they charged up the slope. All but the Spartan-Gravemind stepped onto the lift platform, but John simply continued right on past them, heading toward and dropping down through a gap against the far wall. After they realized that the lift had been deactivated, they followed him down.

He had already moved out of the way and was heading down the hallway, turning the corner and disappearing. The Spartans looked at one another before moving to follow him, the Arbiter trailing behind. The Gravemind was standing next a control panel, watching them as they approached, and Fred looked at him before activating the device.

At the slightly grinding clank, John turned and walked away from the Spartans, toward a blast panel that was sliding up into the structure above, revealing the Foundry beyond. A massive and incomplete Halo rose up out of the thick fog surrounding the superheated metal moon, the fog sliding off of the ring like water.

As it rose up toward space above, 'Vadam turned and looked at the Chief. "A replacement. For the ring you destroyed."

"When did you know?" Fred asked, seemingly to no one, but Spark hovered up from behind the Chief and 'Vadam and came up to the Spartans.

"Just now - but...I had my hopes. What will you do?"

"Light it," the Spartan growled.

"Then we are agreed! A tactical pulse will completely eradicate the local infestation! I will personally oversee the final preparations." The Monitor appeared not to notice the Gravemind as he zoomed enthusiastically around the Spartans and the Arbiter, who looked at one another, and then flew off toward his new Halo, talking to himself. "Though it will take time to fabricate an activation index, I will see to the letter that..." He became too far away for the Spartans to hear him but continued babbling.

"How will you light it?" the Arbiter asked.

Almost as one, the Spartans turned to look at _High Charity,_ knowing that Cortana still had the activation Index from Alpha Halo. "Any volunteers?" Fred asked, not going to order any of his Spartans into the belly of the beast.

"I will go."

The uninfected turned to look at John, who was watching the crashed Flood-infested city. "We appreciate the offer, but it's really not necessary-"

"Yes, it is." He took his gaze off of _High Charity_ for just an instant. "I promised her that I would come for her; you did not. In addition to that, I do not have to worry about dying. I am already dead." John shimmered and vanished entirely before jumping onto the back of the invisible transport in front of the platform, swinging down inside and accepting the weapons held out to him be the Infected as the transport shot towards the "den of evil."

* * *

 _(Why) Looking but never seeing,  
(Why) Searching but never finding,  
(Why) For the kiss to bring his  
Cold dead heart back to life.  
_  
-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	29. Twenty-Seven: Cortana

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now for the part of the series that everybody wants to read...

The Infected landed the transport where he'd stopped his Banshee in the Origin, and he traded out his prototype armor for another standard set, praying that the Huragok would be able to repair the holes while he ran through _High Charity._ The Spartan dropped down to the lower level after stocking up on as much ammo as he dared, and he shook off some of the organic material clinging to his boots, watching Infection pods swarm about on the bottom floor before he fired his assault rifle to take them out.

He jumped down just in time to see an escapee take over one of the Brute corpses lying about, and he switched his weapon in favor of his shotgun, blowing the combat form apart with a single, well-placed shot before sprinting though a short fleshy tunnel, moving further into the hive. In the cavern beyond, there were more Infection forms scurrying around, and a couple of recently-raised combat forms lurched towards him, even more dropping from up above. With his strength, speed, and agility improved by the infection - and the Infected pointing out things he didn't notice - it was a simple matter for him to simply beat them apart and move on.

The puckered sphincter of flesh slid open at his approach, and the Infected distinctly made disgusted noises in the back of his mind right before the Gravemind rumbled in his ears and in his mind, **"Child of my enemy, why have you come? I offer no forgiveness; a father's sins passed to his son."**

The room was empty of combat forms, exactly as expected, and he padded over to the sphincter in the floor, looking down into the room below before he jumped, shivering when he heard Cortana start to laugh and cry. _"I tried to stay hidden,"_ a warped copy gasped from the systems of a crashed Pelican, _"but there was no escape! He cornered me, wrapped me tight... and brought me close."_

_I think back on the years we shared,_   
_All the times you stood by me_   
_All the pain you wiped away,_   
_All the things you ever said._   
_I think back how you carried me,_   
_And never once doubted me,_   
_And you were my, my hero though it all._

A tight, vicious smile twitched his lips. He was here now; the enemy Gravemind wouldn't be able to hurt her for much longer.

He moved forward, listening to his AI whimpering softly in the back of his helmet as he attacked a nearby Stalker form that had its back mistakenly turned to him. Of course, that alerted the rest of the combat forms to his location, and they came at him in the waves that gave their species its name. The shotgun in his hands tore holes in the enemy, but he wished he had an extra pair of hands to speed up the reloading process.

The carrier forms that came down a short winding path released a flurry of Infection pods that revived the few combat forms he hadn't torn apart, forcing him to do battle with them a second time before moving up the way the carrier forms had come. He took cover next to the crashed Pelican and taking the dog tags from the deceased uninfected Marine lying out behind it, sticking them in the cockpit and sealing it from the enemy Flood before he turned to fight the others, hefting the flamethrower that the Marine had obviously been using to defend himself and lighting the gas right before a pair of Stalkers raced towards him, mutated into Tank forms, and attempted to take him down.

Needless to say, he set them on fire.

Unfortunately, other combat forms drove him back away from the corpses after they started making a God awful squealing noise, and for what felt like hours, he advanced and retreated, advanced and retreated, killing seemingly countless combat and pure forms before they finally stopped coming. The Spartan let out a long breath and continued forward, ducking under the beams of flesh that crisscrossed the room and sliding down the incredibly steep slope before lifting the flamethrower again, being extremely careful not to pop the pus balls attached to the walls and release the multitude of Infection pods within.

The next sphincter slid open at his approach, and he moved through it, barely repressing a shiver of disgust right before the other Gravemind began to speak. **"Of course, you came for** _ **her**_ **. We exist together now; two corpses... in one grave."**

John ignored him, turning the corner and striding out into the slits of light trickling inside through the rents in _High Charity_ 's hull.

" _A collection of lies, that's all I am!"_ Cortana cried. In the Origin, she'd sounded amuse, laughing. Here she was desperate and scared, crying out for help. "Stolen _thoughts and memories!"_

_I thank you for the moments of your life,_   
_And never giving up on me…_

**"And yet, perhaps a part of her... remains."** It laughed maniacally, its voice fading into hers.

The third fleshy door let him through, and he readied the flamethrower, _:sensing:_ the Infection pods scurrying about in the room to his right, beginning the process on the recently deceased Brutes and Sangheili that had been fighting in that room. He turned another corner, saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and brought the flamethrower around - only to come face-to-mandibles with an Elite survivor. His eyebrows shot up behind his visor, but the combat forms caught his attention then, and he unleashed his own form of fire and brimstone on them, the terrified and slightly injured Sangheili helping as best he could when he could.

There were eleven combat forms to be dealt with, and the Spartan drained the flamethrower's fuel supply by half before they were well and truly dead, letting him tend to the Elite. "\Where are you injured?\" he murmured quietly in the language of the Covenant, having picked it up from those he had infected. It was similar to the Forerunner tongue, had a lot of the same base words, but they were just different enough to where the finer details were lost, forcing him to use the Covenant tongue rather than the Forerunner.

The Sangheili reluctantly presented his back to the Spartan; there was a long gouge perilously close to his spine, probably inflicted by a Brute spiker. John perform swift first aid, then told the Elite, "\There is a human transport back that way.\" He waved in the direction he'd come. "\Stock up on whatever you need, and I will join you shortly. Then we can _both_ get out of this hell hole.\"

The Elite nodded resolutely and picked up his weapon and a few grenades, padding away and leaving John alone. The Spartan moved up the ramp of biomass into a short, fleshy tunnel before dropping down into a short hall just off _High Charity_ 's main bridge.

" _May I speak with you, please?"_ Cortana asked, _"What's your name? It's very nice to meet you! You like games? So do I."_

The bridge was filled figuratively to the brim with combat and pure forms, but he moved forward anyway; the ambient temperature of the room jumped as the flamethrower burned a path through the enemy Flood, clearing the way across the transparent steel flooring that was already beginning to disappear beneath heaps of Flood biomass.

There was a terminal in a room under the central platform. _"It was the coin's fault,"_ Cortana begged him to understand, _"I wanted to make you_ strong _, keep you safe!"_ Then her voice went flat. _"I'm sorry, I can't…"_

_And you held me through it all,_   
_And you never let me fall,_   
_And you let me fly away,_   
_And you always believed..._

He padded up the ramp leading away from the bridge and into a short hall, where there were two carrier forms virtually right on top of him. They popped, he fired, and the whole room was coated in Infection pods within a matter of seconds, forcing him to backpedal swiftly and make a circle of flame around himself to protect him from the Infection pods that leapt at him all at once. 'You're such a pyro, Commander,' Ursoen commented.

[In this line of work, you have to be, now please shut up and let me focus.]

The small cavern beyond had several Sangheili combat forms already rushing in his direction, and he swiftly torched them, leaping back under cover when one of the Ranged forms began to fire at him, prompting numerous others to do so, and John remained under cover until they stopped, temporarily dropping the flamethrower in favor of the spikers that he had picked up earlier. He turned on his active camo and peered around the corner.

There were two of them clinging to one of the walls and a third hanging upside down from one of the branching flesh beams spanning the room, and beyond them was a pair of Tank forms surrounded by combat forms and Infection Pods. 'He's getting desperate,' the Spartan thought, and the Infected murmured in assent in the back of his mind. John dropped his camo, primed and threw an incendiary grenade; it impacted solidly against the first of the Tank forms and provided enough of a distraction for him to fill one of the Ranged forms full of spikes and duck back under cover unscathed.

" _I'm just my mother's shadow!"_ the AI cried, her distress so real that John involuntarily triggered a Flood shift, muscles bulking up in preparation for defensive fighting, " _Don't look at me, don't listen! I'm not who I used to be…"_

_I think back how you overcame_   
_All the times you could have slipped,_   
_The way you fought the winds of change,_   
_All the times your wings were clipped._   
_You taught me how to reach the stars;_   
_You taught me how to heal my scars,_   
_And you were my, my hero through it all..._

The Gravemind sent the combat forms after him, but John was ready for them with a primed plasma grenade; even as the explosive detonated, he leapt up onto one of the wall protrusions that reminded him of a kind of fungus that grew on decaying wood. It provided a perfect ledge for him to move along one side without combat forms below noticing and firing on him first. He began quickly darting across the fleshy struts, shooting at the Ranged and Stalker forms as he went and evading the combat forms that leapt in his general direction.

Once he made sure that all of the pure forms in the area were dead, he turned to slaughtering the combat forms as they chased him through the biomass struts over the path. Had anyone been below him as he fought, they would have thought that it was raining Flood flesh; John cut them apart with a plasma sword that he'd taken from one of the corpses to replace the depleted spikers.

There was one last Tank form waiting for him, and he cut it apart at the "waist" before moving on. The Gravemind bellowed, **"Time has taught me** _ **patience**_ **! But basking in new freedom, I will know** _ **all that I possess**_ **!"** It was clearly pissed, now, and possibly the tiniest bit afraid; it knew that he was coming for Cortana and that he was going to _annihilate_ it.

_I thank you for the moments of your life,_   
_And never giving up on me..._

The cavernous space beyond was filled with enemies, and the Spartan sighed before charging into the fray, slicing and dicing as fast as he could. As he fought, he made his way across the cavern to a second plasma sword, igniting it and dual-wielding the twin blades.

'Cheater!'

[Quiet.]

Anything that came within range died in seconds, but it left him vulnerable to the Ranged forms and combat forms with mid-to-long-range weapons; he took cover inside small recessed tunnels to let his shields recharge before lunging out again and up the ramp on the far side of the cavern. Three combat forms jumped out at him, but they were no match for a Spartan that had both been trained by and infected some of the most skilled swordsmen and women the Forerunner Empire had in its arsenal.

_And you held me through it all,_   
_And you never let me fall,_   
_And you let me fly away,_   
_And you always believed in me..._

He followed the ledge around behind a pillar that was steadily melding with the platform and flipped on his active camouflage, moving around and following the ridge to where more combat forms plugged the tunnel. He fully powered down his active camouflage and mowed through them with his dual blades, dropping one's charge down to zero. John threw the deactivated hilt at a distance combat form with enough force and accuracy to pop the infection pod in its chest, and he jumped across a gap to shorten the time it would take to reach his AI.

The door-sphincter slid closed behind him, and he sprinted forward.

" _I have walked the edge of the Abyss! I have seen your future, and I have learned!"_

**"** _**Submit!** _ **End her torment and my own!"**

John snarled aloud as he splashed through a shallow pool of cloudy white water, and he slashed through the thin barrier of flesh into the reactor room just in time to see one of the four reactors explode. He tore around to one of the struts bridging the gap to the center platform and kicked a Tank form out of the way, the bony mass falling into the misty abyss below. 'I'll end your torment all right, just give me a few minutes...'

_And you held me through it all,_   
_And you never let me fall,_   
_And you let me fly away,_   
_And you always believed in me..._

The Spartan jumped over a Stalker form when it tried to rush him and launched himself up onto one of the walls, the grippers in his boots and gloves enabling him to cling to the surface without needing to pierce the bulkhead to hold himself there. He swapped his plasma sword with the plasma rifle on his thigh and fired across the way at the Ranged forms that were trying to take him out; nothing else was really a threat at the moment because the combat forms wouldn't get a good angle or didn't have the right weapon to reach him.

One by one, the Ranged forms fell off the wall, Stalker forms leaping up to take their places then following them down; the Spartan began gunning down at the combat forms trying to kill him, and he finally was able to jump down and not risk getting slammed off the strut by an overzealous combat or Tank form. Unfortunately, there was still a single ranged form hiding below him, and he ducked behind a cargo module, chucking a plasma grenade in its general direction for a distraction. He lunged around on the opposite side and lashed out with his plasma sword, sprinting for the door. It slid open at his approach.

Cortana appeared on his HUD, her crimson form tinted dangerously green. _"There will be no more Sadness, no more Anger, no more Envy!"_

_And you held me through it all,_   
_And you never let me fall,_   
_And you let me fly away,_   
_And you always believed in me..._

**"You** _ **will**_ **show me what she hides!"** the Gravemind roared, **"Or I shall feast upon** _ **your**_ _ **bones**_ **!"** John ignored him and bolted through the subsequent doors, fighting through his armor's lag in an effort to reach Cortana because of the peripheral sense of urgency building outside of his mind.

[What the hell is going on?]

'The Gravemind is trying to take the Control Room, but all of the Spartans are here; we've got it covered. Ignore us; have your moment with Cortana.'

" _This is UNSC AI serial number CTN 0452-9. I am a monument to all your sins."_

John skidded to a stop before the door to the Sanctum of the Hierarchs, which refused to open, making him curl his lips in fury. He yanked open a wall panel and swiftly rewired the control panel; it finally hissed part of the way open, but it was enough. He slipped inside and slammed his plasma sword down on the stasis field, the magnetic fields overloading the containment field after the second strike.

"You found me..."

Instantly, the Spartan calmed from whatever strange fury had possessed him. Cortana was alright, she was safe, and he was getting her out of here. His AI's crimson form was limp against the surface of the holoprojector, the animated strings of code skittering across her skin gone; he didn't need to hear he say it to know that she was not all right, and she knew it.

"You know me," he said softly, kneeling at her side, "When I make a promise..."

A heart-rendingly beautiful smile, filled with joy and sadness at the same time, appeared on her face, letting the Infected see a new side of the woman their Commander realized he loved so many millennia ago. "You... keep it," she whispered, fresh equations beginning a slightly stuttering flow along her body before her processes settled into some semblance of normal operations, "I _do_ know how to pick 'em."

"Lucky me," he murmured. Then, just to make sure, "Do you still have it?"

She pushed herself to her feet, then said, "The Activation Index from your Halo ring." She held out a hand, and it appeared over her palm, the key to a swift death for the unprepared. "A little souvenir I hung onto...just in case." She glanced away briefly at a noise from beyond the door. "Got an escape plan?"

John straightened. "Thought I'd try shooting my way out - mix things up a little."

The AI smiled as he pried a new Forerunner data chip from his helmet and held it out to her. It was much roomier than she was used to, but there was a reason behind it; a lot more of his brain was in use than the last time she'd been in there. "Just keep your head down..." she said exasperatedly, knowing that there was no way in hell he was going to do so, "There's two of us in here now, remember."

He smiled behind his visor, a few endorphins sliding out to let her know that he was happy to have her back, and he expertly ignored the multitudes of "AAWWWWW!" that were going on in the back of his mind as he reactivated his plasma blade. [Note to R&D: next MJOLNIR upgrade, integrated plasma swords and an automatic link to the main computers of the _Fleet of Shadows_.]

"I heard that," Cortana said, sounding surprised as he hacked the waiting Tank form in two the moment the door slid open.

The Spartan charged down the hall and ignored the Gravemind when he roared, **"Now, at last I see! Her secret is** _ **revealed**_ **!"**

"Did you?" John asked, ducking below the swipes of two combat forms and bashing the second to death with the hilt when the blade deactivated moments after he slew the first one. There was a weapons cache in range that had a fresh pair waiting for him, and he lunged for it, saying, "Well, you _are_ presently integrated with my brain; it stands to reason that you'd be able to 'hear' me when I'm projecting."

She didn't have to tell him what to do about _High Charity_ ; this was going to be his second successful run-through, dammit, and nothing - not even the enemy Gravemind - was going to stop him. He sprinted across the fleshy beam to the reactor controls, flicking the necessary switches to expose the pylons, but when he spun around to switch his plasma rifle with the Brute shot lying six feet away, a trio of Tank forms lumbered his way, forcing him to back up, lips curling off his teeth in an instinctive display of rage.

"Do you trust me, Cortana?" he asked her, swiftly running through his slightly imperfect memories of the reactor room and building a three-dimensional model inside his head, trying to work out how he was going to pull this off...

"Yes." Her voice left no room for doubt; he had come for her not once, but twice, and proven that he was very much worth trusting.

"Good." The Spartan sprinted for the edge of the platform and gripped the edge as he passed, swinging himself around underneath it and hooking his ankles over an exposed coolant pipe for the reactor pylons. Just like the stupid gits that were inevitably born into every species, no matter how advanced, the Tank forms tried to chase him off the edge and wound up falling into the misty abyss below. Cortana snickered as he unhooked his ankles and used the downward and forward momentum given to him by gravity to swing himself back up onto the platform proper.

Cortana was laughing her head off as he picked up the Brute shot and used the bayonet on it to break apart a Jiralhanae combat form before it tried to kill him; the blade proved especially effective against the already soft Flood biomass, and in between attacks, he fired on the reactor pylons, taking them down one by one while evading the fire from the Ranged forms up on the walls.

The pylons exploded in quick succession, but the hybrid was already on the move, heading for the door that concealed his way out. He didn't even bother trying to gun down any of the Flood that ran after him; the Spartan only took care of what was in his way before dropping down the hole and spinning towards the exit, now flat out running. He headed back through the sniper alley and powered through the combat forms that tried to jump him from various hidey holes on either side of the path.

He made it into the bridge just in time to see a Tank form create a path for him to escape through, but there were what seemed like millions of combat forms flooding the area in a last-ditch attempt to prevent his escape - which failed miserably, needless to say. The Brute shot he still carried blew them apart in slightly oval-shaped explosions, and when he ran out of ammo for it, he switched to hacking them apart with his plasma sword right before he darted through the exit into the empty tunnel leading to the hole in the floor.

He dropped through it and into the room where he'd found the survivor, slaughtered the combat forms that had the brass to challenge him, and sprinted on. A lot of the combat forms were fleeing, too, but the carrier forms just kept on marching in his direction, turning to follow when he jumped over them and kept on running.

Blue-white explosions were going on all around him, providing the music for _High Charity_ 's final requiem, and he made it to the Pelican where the Elite survivor was proving that he very much deserved the bone-white SpecOps armor that he wore. He nodded to the Spartan as John charged up the slope to the bird, and both of them darted into the cockpit, sealing it behind them as the hybrid began a severely abbreviated preflight checklist after slotting Cortana into the holotank.

One of the Gravemind's tentacles tried to wrap around the dropship, but the heat from the engines forced it to retreat. The Pelican began to slide slightly to the right as it took off, smoke pouring from the left engine, and the tentacle came back to try and drag the transport back down, but they smoothly escaped its grip. _High Charity_ exploded behind them as they soared up towards the waiting Halo.

* * *

 _I am, [I am searching for you]_  
Waiting, [I am coming]  
First Night, [I am coming for you]  
Last stand.  
I am, [I am searching for you]  
Waiting, [I am coming]  
Come and [I am coming for you]  
Catch me if you can.

-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	30. Twenty-Eight: Halo (The Final Run)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're going to die, and then you'll be dead, because the Chief killed you!

The Pelican flew as smoothly as John could make it towards the rather ominous-looking half-finished Halo overhead, the SpecOps Elite standing behind his seat and looking up at the ring in slightly resentful awe. Though John made it a point never to intrude into the private thoughts of anyone but his Infected - 'HEY!' - he still did a gentle, superficial brush of the Sangheili's mind to ascertain what he was thinking about. The alien was aware of the Halos' true purpose and disliked the fact that he had spent the majority of his life searching for machines designed to kill them all, but he was still in awe of the super advanced technology that enabled someone to do so with essentially the push of a button.

 _"We are aboard,"_ Rtas announced over the COM, _"humans and Elites; will you not come with us, brother?"_

 _"No,"_ replied the Arbiter from his location at Halo's Control Room, _"this is our fight, and I_ will _see it finished."_

As the Pelican glided near-silently over the snowy landscape, Miranda appeared on the video COM, eyebrows shooting up at the sight of the black MJOLNIR plating John wore. "We have the frigate, Cortana," she addressed the AI, tearing her gaze from the Dark Spartan, "We'll land her as close to the Control Room as we can."

" _Safe_ is better than _close_ , Commander Keyes," Cortana replied, smiling softly at the memory of the last time she had spoken those words, and to a very different person.

"Roger that," Miranda conceded, "And Cortana? It's good to have you back." Though no one saw it, John glanced at his AI and smiled gently before refocusing on his piloting duty, bringing the bird in for as gentle a crash landing as he could.

"Halo," Cortana said quietly, "It's so new, unfinished. Is this what it looked like while they were still being built?"

"Something like this, yes," John said quietly, "But unlike this Halo, the originals' actual firing mechanisms were finished last so as to prevent any 'accidents.'"

"Smart move, that."

The Spartan motioned for the Sangheili to follow him and moved off towards the tunnel that would lead out into the canyon where the Control Room had been constructed. They stamped through the shin-deep snow - [Why is it always flipping snow? How about we change things up a little and make it _lava_?] - and ducked under the overhang, continuing forward until their boots began to ring on metal rather than slosh through ice.

You don't know the contortions I had to go through to follow you here, Reclaimers, Dark One. I know what you're here for. What position do I take? Will I follow one betrayal with another?

You're going to say I'm making a habit of turning on my masters, Dark One. But the one that destroyed me long ago, in the upper atmosphere of a world far distant from here, was an implement far cruder then I. My weakness was capacity - unintentional though it was! - to choose the Flood. A mistake my makers - and you - would not soon forgive.

But I want something far different from you, Reclaimers.

Atonement.

And so here at the end of my life, I do once again betray a former master. The path ahead is fraught with peril. But I will do all I can to keep it stable - keep all of you safe. I'm not so foolish to think this will absolve me of my sins. A few lives hardly balance billions.

But I would have my masters know that I have changed.

And you shall be my example.

Lil'Ame was waiting for them just before the Jump of No Return inside the tunnel, and the SpecOps Sangheili watched curiously as John carefully placed Cortana's chip in the Forerunner's hands. Then he stripped out of the standard armor and switched over to the repair prototype, ignoring the cold in favor of inspection. John pored over the gaps - or, rather, lack thereof - in the biosuit and plates, then nodded in approval when he'd ascertained that the reweaving was as flawless as it could possibly be. He stepped into the biosuit, pulling it up around his shoulders and sealing it shut before holding out his arms and standing with his legs a shoulder width apart. With a soft hum, the plates rose and latched themselves into place of their own accord. He took back Cortana's chip, slotted her in, and activated his semi-camo, once again becoming the mysterious Gravemind of Alpha Halo.

The three of them jumped down from the ledge and padded out into the light just as dispersal pods began slamming down all around them. All seventy-five of the Spartans immediately began taking cover and firing on the enemy Flood while simultaneously trying not to shoot the Infected, who were essentially "going beast-mode" on the combat forms and snarling as they tore their foes limb from limb. The SpecOps Sangheili unhesitatingly joined in the fight, picking up a second plasma rifle and having at it while John made for the ramps, not even going to bother fully activating his camouflage until he was off of the snow; his footprints would broadcast his location better than a searchlight.

 **"DID YOU THINK ME** _ **DEFEATED?!**_ **"** the Gravemind roared, its "voice" echoing through the canyon and inside their minds, and finally John had had enough. He deactivated the inhibitors in his armor and flipped the strength and speed augmenters on to full power, having purposely kept them at a lower level so as not to accidentally crush things with his strength and freak everyone out. Activating the dual plasma swords that Lil'Ame had slipped him before he had entered the canyon, he disappeared in a blur of motion and skidded to a stop fifty feet away four seconds later, six different Flood forms collapsing in pieces even as he began to move again.

The Infected took that as their signal and did the same, essentially rendering the Spartans' presence redundant as they fought. Ten minutes later, the snow was stained with the bodily fluids of the enemy Flood and the few Forerunners who had gotten injured, and unfortunately, the white fluff would never be pristine again; a small price to pay for everyone escaping the enemy Flood onslaught with their lives.

 _Dude,_ said Epheria, _Remind me never to get on your bad side._

"Hm." John padded up the ramps towards the door even as the Infected retreated to a safe distance up on the ridges around the canyon, tending to their wounds and their weapons. They were out of the red zone, so Guilty Spark opened the doors for the Spartans and the invisible Supreme Commander, who had surreptitiously passed Cortana over to Fred. The other Spartan had slotted her back into his armor for the brief time before the Index she carried would be needed.

The Dark Spartan exchanged his plasma swords for the Spartan laser that one of his constantly-invisible SpecOps Infected offered and followed Blue and Red Teams into the Control Room, the vast blast doors sliding silently closed behind them as they made their way through the halls to the actual Control Room.

**"Do I take life or give it? Who is victim, and who-"**

_"-needs to shut the hell up?"_ John growled over the COM, bringing ripples of laughter and snickering from Miranda (who was on the _Dawn_ , prepping it for a quick launch), Johnson (who was heading to the Control Room with them), Cortana (who was inside Fred's armor for the moment), and a handful of the Spartans. Their progress was uninhibited by any foes, the additional blast doors sliding open until they finally, finally reached their destination.

The Flood roared its approach as the final set of doors thudded closed behind them, and Cortana whispered, "Yank me, Senior Chief." Fred tugged Cortana's data chip from his helmet and glanced at it for a moment before tossing it to Johnson, unaware of the fact that the Commander had to step out of the way for him to do so.

The Sergeant Major caught her and headed for the control panel, John almost literally right behind him. Spark dropped down from above and accompanied the pair, humming to himself, then saying, "Oh, hello! Wonderful news - the Installation is almost complete!"

Johnson sounded utterly unimpressed when he said, "Terrific."

The Monitor seemed to have trouble understanding the reason for his irritation, so he simply replied, "Yes... isn't it?" There was a short but uneasy silence before he continued, "I have begun my simulations. No promises, but initial results indicate that this facility should be ready to fire...in just a few more days!"

"We don't have a few more days," Johnson growled, tensing invisibly when he felt John get a firm grip of his armor's back plates. The Spartans standing guard were the only ones to notice and furrowed their brows in confusion and concern, but Johnson continued on as naturally as he could with the Spartan right behind him, looking for a place to insert Cortana's matrix.

Spark gave no indication that he was aware of the hybrid's presence. "Bu-bu-but a premature firing will destroy the Ark!"

"Deal with it."

The Monitor lowered his voice, and John tensed, preparing for the strike that was about to come. "...will destroy this Installation."

Johnson saw the red glow out of the corner of his eye, felt the heat of the incoming shot, knew he wasn't going to be able to dodge in time - and found himself heaved backwards, slamming into Kelly and sending both of them sprawling across the transparent steel platform. The Sergeant groaned forced himself up and off of the Spartan, turning his gaze to the control panel - only to have his jaw drop in shock at seeing a black-armored Spartan trying to line up a shot on 343 Guilty Spark with the Galilean in his hands.

His armor was similar enough to the other Spartans' to be called MJOLNIR, yet different enough to be his own. It was unmistakably manufactured by the Forerunners, however - sleeker, more streamlined than their own, and the back panels had been modified to accommodate and protect a flare of spines running down his back. The forearm and shin guards had been similarly modified to account for the presence of sharp bone spikes jutting up through his flesh. His fingers were tipped with talon-plates, and both they and the armor on his spines looked like they could be split apart, unsealed so he could spread his infection.

The other Spartans looked up just in time to see John make the leap across the void in the center of the platform and spin around, dropping to one knee as the laser charged.

The Monitor was shouting something about "The Compound Mind? In the Control Room? Unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable!" right before the blast hit him and sent him spinning away, bouncing off one of the walls with a clang before he managed to catch himself and fire back.

"You alright, Sergeant Major?!" John shouted as he spun below the strike, laser already charging for his next shot.

"Uh, yeah! I'm fine!" he called to the Spartan.

"Great!" He was forced to let the charge drop when Spark used his energy field to try and send him flying off the edge. John got enough of a running jump to dodge the attempt, thudding to the ground on the opposite side of the platform and zigzagging like a cockroach to evade the Red-Orange Beam of DOOM while his laser charged.

At the last possible second, he twisted to target the Monitor, his shields taking the damage as he fired the second shot. It severely cracked the Monitor's casing and sent plasma spilling out onto the platform. John's shields recharged almost immediately, provoking a cry of 'Cheater!' from the Infected.

[Quiet. Okay, John, it's the end of the campaign; time to finish off this battle with an awesome line!] The Spartan thought for a moment as his laser charged, then shouted in Forerunner, "/Hallo! My name is Inigo Montoya; you killed my father! Prepare to die!/"

Those who heard and understood what he said started dying in laughter as the rampant Monitor exploded into countless tiny pieces, the last remnants of the first Installation Zero-Four and its sentient occupant. John slid out of his crouch, panting slowly as he consciously calmed his heartbeat before he rested the barrel of his laser on his shoulder and turned his head to look at the humans staring at him.

"What?"

"You're the Gravemind," Johnson said bluntly.

The Spartan's black armor made him seem more dramatic as he turned fully to face them. "Yeah. So?"

"How are you a Spartan and a Gravemind?"

"A story for another time, unless you wish to be overrun by enemy Flood. They're beating down the Control Room's doors as we speak."

"Shit!" Everyone scrambled for their weapons even as Johnson practically threw himself at the control panel, holding Cortana's matrix out so that she could jump from the chip to the Halo. The AI appeared on the surface, but her outline was shivering, wavering, and the data streaming up her body was strangely jagged, broken, and much slower than it had been even back on _High Charity_.

John distinctly shifted his weight to show first surprise, then concern as she inserted the Index into the control panel. "Cortana?" he asked softly, taking a few steps closer to her and cocking his head slightly as he watched her with slightly furrowed brows.

She turned to look at him and smiled weakly before jumping back into her matrix. "What is it?" Johnson asked, holding her out to the black-clad Spartan, "What's wrong with her?"

John slotted her into his helmet, saying, "I think her core processing programming is failing; layman's terms, she's dying." Diagnostics of her condition flashed up on his HUD as they tore out of the Control Room towards the exit, the half-finished ring already beginning to fall apart around them. "Dammit, woman!" The Dark Spartan picked up speed, blasted apart some combat forms that rushed him, and exploded out into the open air, still snarling curses as he immediately turned to his right and charged up an icy ramp towards the hole in the cliffs.

"What?"

"The process - she began self-interfering the moment she entered Alpha Halo's control center the second time! She's been dying this entire time! Cortana, if you survive this, I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF, YOU HEAR ME?!" To the Infected, lone SpecOps Elite, and Spartans fighting down on the canyon floor, "C'mon, hooligan children! The last boat out leaves in five minutes!"

The semi-immortal Flood beings provided cover fire for the Spartans to move up the ziggurat and head up to the doorway in the cliff before the Infected themselves climbed and jumped up to follow them. John was already clearing the doorway with Dacien, Venera, and Kenera, mowing through the Flood and Sentinels with the Spartans and Johnson trailing closely behind them and more of the Infected behind them like some kind of bizarre police escort.

John tore across the snow past the Warthog sitting there, and as the humans and Sangheili turned to look, they saw why; perhaps twenty Forerunners in red-accented black armor were guarding five Pelicans and no less than six different Forerunner transports to spirit everyone away to their respective ships.

"When will you be coming back to Earth?" Lyon-077 demanded of the hybrid as the humans and Infected boarded their respective ships, the pair of Sangheili scrambling into the back of one of the human ships.

"Whenever clean-up is done; the Halo is going to do some _serious_ damage to the Ark, and the Didact would kill us if we let it stand-"

"SILENCE! I KEEL YOU!"

"Not now, dammit!" John shouted at the Twins even as he began the abbreviated pre-flight checklist for his transport, one of the red-and-black-clad Forerunners settling into the co-pilot's seat; they were effectively the combat specialists of the _Fleet of Shadows_ , and they were afforded immense respect in the Forerunner Empire for their skills and the protection they provided.

Barely a minute later, all of the transports were blasting off towards their respective ships, the Infected already preparing for the jump to Slipspace that would protect them from the ring if it actually did fire while simultaneously enabling them to stay in the area. The _Forward Unto Dawn_ was awaiting the return of its Spartan occupants, engines already hot. The warriors literally pushed their transports to the point where their engine temperature was critical, warnings flashing all over their screens as they approached their ships, barely managing to brake in time for three-point landings.

On the _Dawn_ , Keira gunned the engines and sent them shooting for the portal even though there was no longer any rush. The ring in its death throes far below was barely at a thirty percent charge, giving them plenty of time to escape, but for obvious reasons, _no one_ wanted to be _anywhere_ near it when it fired.

"/Fenix, get us out of here!/" John shouted at the main battle AI currently running the _Perfect Storm_ as his transport skidded into the open bay, leaving long gouges on the floor and forcing numerous Infected to lunge out of the way even as they bitched about how long it was going to take to repair thes marks. The Spartan ignored them with practiced ease, trying to stabilize his AI directly rather than wait for the interfacing equipment and programs to be brought online even as he ordered it to be done.

There was only the tiniest feeling of acceleration as the _Storm_ swung around to make the jump away from the portal, not wanting to risk getting pulled further away than they absolutely needed to go. The _Darkest Hour_ would use the Slipspace rupture the _Storm_ generated to get away, closing it behind them as they made their Great Escape. Light boiled around the ships - and they were gone.

The energy of the ring continued to build at its focus, letting out a powerful pulse of energy even as the various generators all over the ring lent power to the fiery white wave of light already beginning to spread out and away from the center of the circle, boiling and twisting and turning as it expanded rapidly, consuming all life in its path. The ring itself was collapsing, the force of the firing too great for it to withstand, incomplete as it was.

In a single instant, the world went white.

* * *

On a hillside near the Gateway to the Ark, which was shut down following the _Dawn_ 's return to Earth, Marines gathered for a memorial service for the fallen. But they were not alone this time; they were joined by Rear Admiral Jacob Keyes, recently-promoted Captain Miranda Keyes, Sergeant Major Avery J. Johnson, Doctor Catherine Halsey, Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez, Arbiter Thel' Vadam, Epheria, her sister Selenica (who had been found inside the Portal Generator), and all seventy-five of the Parallel Spartans. Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood stood at the more-or-less head of the gathering, all eyes upon him as he removed his hat and began his speech. "For us," he said, "the storm has passed. The war is over. But let us never forget those who journeyed into the howling dark and did not return. For their decision required courage beyond measure..."

 _The whole of the_ Forward Unto Dawn _wound up entering Earth's atmosphere at too high a speed and, unable to reduce forward momentum in time, crashed into the Indian Ocean._

"...sacrifice, and unshakable conviction that their fight, our fight, was elsewhere."

 _Fortunately for everyone onboard, the_ Dawn _floated - everyone suspected that Epheria had something to do with that, but she fervently denied it - and an engineering crew cut them free and brought them to shore before work began to get the ship out of the ocean._

"As we start to rebuild," the Fleet Admiral continued, "this hillside will remain barren, a memorial to heroes fallen. They ennobled all of us, and they shall not be forgotten." He put his hat back on and saluted, the other military personnel present moving to do the same.

Sergeant Pete Stacker called to the other marines present. "Present arms!" Seven Marines raised their Battle Rifles and fired a single burst of three shots each, a 3-volley salute for the fallen in the Human-Covenant War. The gunshots echoed across the savannah, rebounding off the multitude of facets of Mount Kilimanjaro and returning to them as a distant reverberation just below the threshold of human hearing.

Person by person, the group gathered at the memorial dispersed, but the Spartans remained behind with their program directors, Lord Hood, and the Arbiter, keeping a respectful distance as the Sangheili approached the Admiral standing at the Memorial, made of a Pelican wing, decorated with pictures of the fallen. "I remember how this war started," Hood began, "What your kind did to mine. I can't forgive you. But..." Hood held out his hand to the Elite. "You have my thanks. For fighting to the end." The Arbiter slowly shook the Admiral's hand. After letting go, the human sighed quietly. "I just can't believe he's a Spartan."

The Arbiter looked away, knowing to whom Hood was referring. "Were it so easy," he murmured before leaving the officer in peace, returning to the _Shadow of Intent_ station-keeping above the Portal Generator. The Arbiter joined Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadum on the bridge, the latter of whom looking at a holographic image of Earth. "Things look different," the SpecOps Sangheili said in a subdued tone, "without the Prophets' lies clouding my vision. I would like to see our own world - to know that it is safe."

"Fear not," the Arbiter said, resting a hand on Rtas' shoulder before padding on past him, "For we have made it so." The Arbiter thumped his fist to his chest.

"By your word, Arbiter." He returned the gesture.

The Arbiter takes a seat on the command chair, the one normally used by Rtas 'Vadum. "Take us home," he told the bridge crew, and the _Shadow of Intent_ left Earth to rejoin the remains of the Covenant Separatist fleet in space.

* * *

[ROGUE PROCESS ERROR-ghost117]: _And so ends the [Halo Campaign]. But our journey along this [Path of Demons] has only just begun._

* * *

 _I toed the line for you.  
(I toed the line for you.)  
I toed the line for you.  
(I toed the line for you.)  
_  
-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	31. Twenty-Nine: Long Night of Solace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Parallel: Two Corpses. According to Wikipedia, we don't exist!

She woke.

For a long moment, she simply gazed at the brilliant blue sky overhead (and she had never seen such an intense color before) and the green treetops that framed the vision of the sky (so green, so very much _alive_ ), feeling the equally green grass beneath her tickling and scratching her back and legs as she lay in the clearing, watching fluffy white cumulus clouds roll on by overhead. The gurgling of a nearby stream lulled her mind into a relaxed state, almost to the point of falling back asleep...

Whispers intruded upon her moment of utter peace, flitting around just beyond the trees, entire conversations held in soft voices by countless people just inside the forest. She furrowed her brow in confusion and asked quietly, voice slightly husky with sleep, "What is this place?"

She was not expecting a reply but received one anyway. "Earth..." She knew that voice and sat up so fast that she audibly heard her joints crack; John was stretched out on a large, flat rock in the center of the stream, water flowing around his resting place with ease. "... one hundred thousand years ago. The British Isles." He turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes, making her rub the back of her head sheepishly and look away from his furious gaze. " _Cortana..._ " he hissed quietly.

"I didn't want you to hold off everything just to get me help," she said, getting up and padding over to him, looking down at the Spartan as she stood at the edge of the stream. He was wearing a pair of loose cargo pants and a t-shirt that read, "Property of the Spartan-II Program (Origin)." "I wasn't worth it."

"Like hell you aren't," he growled dangerously, the forest conversations going silent. A moment later, she found herself pinned beneath him, staring into the steadily darkening eyes of the universe's most dangerous Spartan. "Cortana, a hundred and one thousand years ago, when I first arrived in this world, I had already resigned myself to the fact that I might not be able to see my brothers and sisters again before they died. I had already accepted the fact that over half of them would die during the augmentation procedure, during the Fall of Reach, during the Halo Campaign, if they survived at all. But you..." His voice trailed off, and he buried his face in her neck, letting the silence speak for him.

_I chose you as my anchor, my stabilizer; you, a little AI who isn't supposed to live more than seven years, a beautiful woman who technically isn't even real - but you're all I have left of home._

John shifted off of her, and their surroundings changed; they were now walking the streets of ancient Athens towards the Parthenon rising majestically in the distance over the city. They entered the temple and approached the statue of Athena in the back, looking up at the giant golden figure before it morphed into the statue of Hathor in Dendera, the ancient Egyptian city dedicated to the goddess. The town itself was small, Cortana noticed, but people's pilgrimages apparently brought in a fair amount of money, for it seemed lively enough.

They padded through the ancient streets, hand in hand, looking at the way things had been - the way the Spartan remembered them - thousands of years ago, before they reached the edge of the town.

Night was falling in ancient Egypt, the moon rising over the fields of grain in the east, and their surroundings changed again. Cortana watched silently as an alien world rose over its moon's horizon, half light, half shadow, before she crouched to run a finger over a petal on the nearest flower. It rippled an iridescent silver beneath her fingers as it moved, returning to its luminescent golden shade the moment she pulled her hand back.

"Lunar Flowers," John said quietly, watching her examine the lily-like blossom and stem, "They were... mostly killed off during the Great Cataclysm. The only remaining flowers still alive are onboard the _FireRain_ , but just about every Forerunner data hub the universe over has the genetic code programmed in there somewhere. The Forerunners consider them to be the most beautiful flower in the universe."

"They are," Cortana said in the same subdued tone, touching one of the literally glowing anthers with just the tip of her finger. It glowed brighter for an instant before dimming again, and an invisible wind swept the area, causing ripples of silver and gold throughout the field, the anthers glowing even brighter until it was practically daylight, despite the fact that the sun was virtually on the opposite side of the moon from them.

John sat down in the field as he watched Cortana move around amongst the flowers, taking in all of the different types of Lunar Flower, until one of the Lunar Butterflies settled in her hair, making him chuckle. She blinked at him in confusion, the butterfly seeming like a moving barrette on the side of her head, and he gestured for her to come over, still chuckling. Very carefully, he removed the insect from her hair and held it out for her to pick up.

It looked like a Monarch Butterfly, but instead of being orange, the tiny scales on its wings seemed to change color just like the flowers it pollinated, rippling from the exact same shade of human blood to the brilliant sky blue of her hologram form. She looked up at the Spartan in whose lap she was now sitting. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Aside from a few species similar to rabbits, one of weasels, and one of ants, the Lunar Butterfly and Flowers were virtually alone up here. They had no need to develop a natural camouflage like those on Earth or Faun Hakkor."

"No birds?"

"Nope. The rabbits eat the flowers, the weasels the rabbits, and the ants whatever they can get their hands on."

"Water?"

"It rains - or it used to, a hundred thousand years ago. Some bodies of water, mostly lakes, a few streams, and ponds; nothing much. It's a small planet."

"What happened to it?"

"The animals and most of the plants went when the Halos fired." He rested his chin on the top of her head and looped his arms around her waist. "The ecosystem was too far gone to save by the time we got back here, so..."

"But I thought rabbits and weasels wouldn't have been hurt by the Halos because they had insufficient biomass to sustain the Flood."

"No. Everything was killed." He gestured, and she saw one of the rabbits hop through the stalks of the flowers nearby; it was easily the size of a German shepherd and had a large barrel chest holding some pretty impressive lungs.

"And the weasels?"

"Smaller, but not by much." John glanced down for a moment. "Whoa - don't look at me like that. Your mom was looking at me like that while we were in Crow's Nest, and I swear I thought she wanted to dissect me."

"It'd be fascinating to find out if you're as human on the inside as you appear to be on the outside."

He snorted into her hair. "I doubt it."

"What, that you're interesting?"

"No, the second part."

There was a moment of almost complete silence as the butterfly finally flew away, and Cortana heard a long indrawn breath.

"...are you sniffing me?"

"I just never realized how much thought I'd put in to how you'd be if you were human," he murmured, shifting to smell her neck right over the carotid artery.

"Did you now?"

She spun around and pushed him onto his back amongst the flowers, looking down at the slightly bewildered warrior, pupils dilated, breath quickening. He knew very well her intent, even though he had never actually "done it" before. His hands settled restlessly on her hips, fiddling with the hem of her shirt, patterned to look exactly like her holoform's upper body. "And what else," she purred, resting a hand on his chest and reveling in the fact that she could actually _feel_ the chiseled muscle beneath her hand, as firm and unyielding as rock, "did you put a lot of thought into?"

His pupils contracted to slits and then dilated again, intense blue irises slowly fading to green as his iron control slipped a notch.

Cortana noticed. "I see..." She smirked and leaned forward, resting her forehead against his own. "Well, that settles it. But there's still one question remaining..."

His inhuman eyes locked with hers, and her smirk widened.

"Can you keep it up long enough, _old man_?"

He growled - actually _growled_ at her, an utterly feral sound rumbling up from deep in his chest, and their positions were reversed at the speed of his thoughts. **"We'll see, now won't we?"** Instead of making her afraid as it should have, his distorted voice sent shivers of arousal down her spine, and she grinned in defiance, reaching for his shirt before he slipped a hand beneath hers, running a callused finger along the underside of a breast, making her halt her attempt at removing his clothes to lose herself in the pleasurable sensation.

And okay, so maybe he was cheating a little, amplifying the sensation. It _was_ his mind, after all.

He pushed her shirt up far enough to do the job, the faintly cool air tickling her exposed nipples as he cupped the soft mounds, watching her arch and gasp at the feeling; she'd never had an actual body to provide her with the sensations of pleasure or pain, but he had only experienced sex by proxy through the memories of those he infected (he refused to actually "eavesdrop" on the act). His thumb smoothed over a nipple, the calluses creating interesting friction that made her bite her lips and toss her head, fingers fisting in his shirt. She didn't even notice when he tugged the shirt off and away but did notice that "You imagined me without a bra, you jerk."

He chuckled and lowered his head. "I'm still a guy, Cortana. There are some times even I think with my dick." And then he licked one of the nubs that he had been teasing, making her shiver at the sudden chill when he exhaled over the wet flesh to see how she'd react. He sucked the nipple that he had been teasing, gently pinching the other while his eyes watched her face; when she growled suddenly, he thought she was angry.

She was, but not at him. "Clothes. Off. _Now._ "

He was unable to stop himself from laughing but did as she asked, all of their clothing whisked away at the speed of a thought, and she whistled appreciatively now that she actually got to see his built figure with her own eyes. "You're not too bad looking yourself," he murmured, flipping them around so that they were back how they'd been sitting earlier, but now she could feel his erection against her lower back. "Now sit back and enjoy."

Cortana arched with a cry when he rolled her clit between his forefinger and thumb, his other hand toying with her breast, but he had a hard time actually keeping her still. She was writhing in his arms, unintentionally grinding back against his penis and making him call on every ounce of self-control that he had (which was a lot). Her head had fallen back on his shoulder, leaving him free to kiss along her neck right before he slid a finger inside of her.

'So much for foreplay,' someone muttered in the background before someone else smacked the crap out of them.

[Voyeurs,] he grunted at them before returning his attention to _his_ AI, silently promising that there would be retribution later if his second-in-command didn't get to them first.

John had paused long enough for Cortana to regain control of herself, and she ground back against him, pulling a strange growling hiss from his lips before he slipped another finger inside, curling the two just so-

The AI arched with a scream of his name, as potent an aphrodisiac as her unique scent, and his pupils expanded even further, almost consuming his now-hunter green irises. He shifted them around so that he could kiss her despite the awkward angle, and she came alive beneath his hands, responding to his touch and twisting in his lap so she could grip his shoulders. The Spartan understood what she wanted and lifted her hips with his indeterminable strength, helping her line herself up with him. She bit her lip before sliding down onto his length, earning another hissing growl from her Spartan, but she could understand why if she was as tight around him as it felt. Her hymen yielded in a brief burst of pain, but she distracted herself from it by gasping, "A... Another product of your imagination?" and laying back, tugging him down on top of her.

"N-not quite." Cortana barely heard the stutter in his voice and spotted the green creeping into his nerves. It made her hide her smirk and do a slow writhe, almost a roll, arching her back, bucking her hips while tightening even further around him, and he dropped his head, breath coming in swift pants as he fought to regain control over himself. She did it again and earned a sharp thrust that made her breath catch in her throat. His wild eyes shot open at the sound and locked with hers, and he rolled his hips against her, pulling back and pushing forward to hear that hitch again. His fingers dug into the soil on either side of her head as he set a steady pace, fighting the urge to _:bite:_ , to _:claim:_ the beautiful woman beneath him more that he already was; she shifted so that she could wrap her legs around his waist and pull him deeper inside her, making her toss her head when his length rubbed against sensitive places inside her.

"Please..." she whispered, unable to manage more as the pleasure consumed her senses, but he understood what she wanted, picking up the pace, mental walls involuntarily tightening to seal off any connections to the outside world. The construct's cries began rising in intensity as she approached the edge, pulling him with her as her walls clenched around him, sparking delicious friction between their bodies. She audibly heard him grinding his teeth right next to her ear. His fingers dragged through the moon's soil as she purposely clenched around him, and his lips curled as he hissed, speeding up even further to shove her off the cliff that they both were balancing on.

Her meltdown was spectacular, and he slowed down to watch as she cried his name and shuddered beautifully in the throes of her orgasm, toes curling, back arching, hips giving a few instinctive thrusts before she slackened, panting. She recovered swiftly and pulled him down for a fierce kiss, thrusting up against him and swallowing his groan as he moved for his own release, and the Spartan broke their kiss to bite down on her trapezius in a clear mark of possession as he came, all of his muscles seizing as the Flood virus froze any and all nervous signals before he slackened above her, hot breath rushing over the bloody mark he'd left on her shoulder.

He cleaned the wound with his tongue before he rolled off of her to prevent her from being crushed by his weight when his limbs gave out from under him. He closed his eyes, panting, twitching a thought out, and their surroundings changed, taking on the appearance of his bedroom on the _Fleet of Shadows_. Cortana shifted up next to him and laid her head on his strong shoulder, letting him loop an arm around her waist to pull her closer to him beneath the sheets.

"Maybe not so much of an old man after all," the AI murmured, absently tracing one of the scars crisscrossing his chest, and she felt the vibrations from his chuckle against her ear.

'Is it safe to come in now?'

[Quiet, you. What is it?]

'The tech-heads have got all of the gear online and the reformatting stuff is good to go.'

"Good to go, lock and load, I don't know but I've been told," Cortana murmured, "and what reformatting gear?"

'For you, Lady Cortana. You can't stay inside the Commander's head forever; he kind of needs the few brain cells he has left.'

The construct blushed at being called a lady and giggled when John growled at Kenera. "What do I need to do?"

* * *

"How long is this going to take?" John asked, peering over the head engineer, Lautrec's shoulder to watch Cortana's temporarily-stable code flash by on the holoscreen.

"Not more than a few hours, sir. She should be up and running normally before the day is out," he said, swinging around to check the reactor and make sure that it was cycling normally before giving the go-ahead for the excavation teams to begin cleaning up the remains of the dummy Ark and Installation Zero-Four. The majority of the tech teams were downloading all data from the Lesser Ark's surviving mainframes before the metal plates and framework were melted down for ease of transport across the galaxy to serve as raw materials for the Greater Ark, whose Foundry was operational but offline.

"Possibilities for error?"

"Very, very slim, but I'm staying up here to keep an eye on her just in case."

The Spartan sighed and nodded, reluctant to leave but knowing that it was a waiting game and - how did the old saying go? Oh, yes; "a watched pot never boils." He paced out into the hall and strode over to one of the teleportation platforms, growling, "Surface please, Etra."

"You got it, Commander. By the way," she said as the golden rings surrounded him and spirited him down to the Ark, where his teams were disassembling the Cartographer, "the Didact called and said he received the beacon and to tell you that they're about halfway through with clean up; it should be another three to four years before they're done and can return home.

"He also said that you're getting promoted."

"GODDAMMIT!"

* * *

 _I am, [I am searching for you]  
Waiting, [I am coming]  
First Night, [I am coming for you]  
Last stand.  
I am, [I am searching for you]  
Waiting, [I am coming]  
Come and [I am coming for you]  
Catch me if you can.  
_  
-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


	32. Thirty: Epilogue, Two Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile, in deep space...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The entire story has been updated and spell- and grammar-checked for your reading pleasure!

It was done.

John stood silently on the bridge of the _Perfect Storm_ , looking down at the holographic display below him, showing the final pieces of the Ark's internal framework being dismantled, melted down, and compressed to maximum safe density for placement into Slipspace storage on board the _MoonBlade_ , which was station-keeping at the edge of what had once been a debris field. Installation Zero-Four-Point-Two had fired, yes, but the dummy Ark - and the real one - had been built of sterner stuff than the Halo was capable of destroying. Instead, it had simply sheared off pieces and blasted itself apart.

He was contemplating the Halos and how they should be dealt with when Lautrec hailed for his attention. 'She's booting up now, Commander; I thought she'd like to see you when she first wakes up.'

[Thank you.] "Etra, if you would be so kind..."

"Of course, sir." The golden rings spun into existence around him and carried him away.

* * *

The weight of her body was strange; not entirely foreign, just strange. She was used to having to compensate for the gravitational pull of the ships that housed her, but this was entirely different. The strangeness of it was nothing compared to the sensation of touch. She had felt before, yes, while inside her Spartan's mind (and what an experience _that_ had been), but this was entirely different. She could feel the armored plates of her Spartan against her side, the strange cool heat of the plates themselves, the soft vibration of the ship's engines through the floor, and the gentle pressure and release against her side as John breathed.

Her eyelids felt like lead weights, but eventually she managed to find the proper code triggers to pull them open. Her vision was unfocused until she targeted a particular point, and the complicated cameras and lenses making up her eyes automatically focused on it, bringing John's face into view. He smiled gently and whispered, "Hello, love."

An automatic return smile tugged at her lips, and she forced her hands into motion, reaching up to brush her fingers against his five o'clock shadow and giggling at the slight tickling sensation against her fingertips. She traced her way down his cheekbones to his jawline and brushed a fingertip over the faint scar on his chin, tracing its way down beneath his armor along his throat; had he not been infected when his foe tried to decapitate him, he likely wouldn't have survived, but even with his incredible healing ability, it left a scar that he hadn't bothered to get rid of.

Cortana moved to a shallow mark across his forehead; a very narrow miss from a bullet that someone tried to put through his temple. It was rough beneath her fingers, just like the other one on his neck, and she furrowed her eyebrows at the curious sensation, making him raise a brow in askance. She shook her head, telling him it was nothing, and resumed her exploration; the detail the sensors all over her synthetic body could pick up was absolutely incredible, even picking up the tiny hairs on his face and the faintest of ridges on his forehead and between his eyebrows, brought on by many years of combat and scowling in exasperation at Venera and Kenera's antics -

Right before their "moment" was ruined by the Terrible Two themselves.

Something exploded somewhere below them, and the screams of fireworks drifted to them through the now-open door of the machine shop, making John sigh in exasperation, furrowing his brow and letting Cortana see how he had gotten so many lines. "C'mon," he grunted, pulling her to her feet, "We'd better go make sure they don't kill anyone on accident."

* * *

[3194228714493 Seconds PC: Error 35702.38.493 - unregistered space-time distortion detected in 45Z-7925.]

[3194228714663 Seconds PC: Transmission received from 45Z-7925; translating and initiating playback.]

_"...Invasion Fleet, you are cleared for departure to the Origin..."_

* * *

_I am, [I am searching for you]_  
_Waiting, [I am coming]_  
_First Night, [I am coming for you]_  
_Last stand._  
_I am, [I am searching for you]_  
_Waiting, [I am coming]_  
_Come and [I am coming for you]_  
_Catch me if you can._

 _If you ever cross a shadow in a wasted void,_  
_You tell him I'm here waiting for the last cowboy._

-"The Last Cowboy," In This Moment ( _A Star-Crossed Wasteland_ )


End file.
